'Our Heat Plan Is Limited': LTHS Official

LA GRANGE, IL — With a fourth day in a row of a heat wave expected Friday, Lyons Township High School plans to let students out a few hours early, the superintendent announced Thursday afternoon.

"(I)t is clear our heat plan is limited in the amount of relief we can truly provide our students and staff when faced with sustained periods of extreme heat," Superintendent Brian Waterman said in a public statement.

As a result, the school will dismiss students at 11:30 a.m., he said.

"This will allow in-person learning to occur in the morning, provide staff and students the chance to connect, and allow students to be dismissed before the temperatures increase again on Friday afternoon," he said.

Extra-curricular activities and athletic events will continue as planned on Thursday and Friday, Waterman said. That includes a parent open house Thursday evening at the South Campus.

Waterman issued a statement a day earlier about the ways in which the school was dealing with the heat, including the recognition of "mask breaks." He also described the efforts that the school was taking in the long run to add more air-conditioned areas to the two campuses.