Dangerous heat prompts concerns for start of school year, health of shelter animals

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Dangerous heat expected on Wednesday and Thursday is causing concerns not only for school districts starting the new year, but for animal shelters caring for animals in need of a home

Downers Grove Grade School District 58 had been scheduled to start the new school year for their 5,000 students on Wednesday,  but has pushed back the start of classes until Friday due to the heat.

"Our primary focus is ensuring a safe and conducive learning environment for everyone. This has been a difficult decision and one we hoped we didn't have to make. Unfortunately, our classrooms and most areas of our schools are not equipped with air conditioning nor modern HVAC systems, which can cause significant issues for individuals in extreme weather. By postponing the start of school by two days, we aim to provide a more favorable environment for effective teaching and learning," District 58 Superintendent Dr. Kevin Russell wrote in a letter to parents.

Russell added that remote learning would not be possible on Wednesday and Thursday, because students have yet to receive their electronic devices, and teachers have not yet taught their students how to use them for remote learning.

"Finally, the first few days of school are used to build relationships and routines and remote learning is not conducive to that," he added.

The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat watch from Wednesday morning through Thursday evening for the entire Chicago area, as temperatures are expected to reach the high 90s on Wednesday and Thursday, with heat indexes of up to 115.

Russell told CBS 2's Marybel Gonzalez that it's an unprecedented move to cancel school days due to the heat.

"I've certainly had to call cold days. I've had to call numerous snow days in my career. Heat days? This is the very first time I've ever had to do this," he said.

It's a decision Russell says the district didn't take lightly.

"Eleven out of our 13 schools do not have air conditioning, and it would just become too hot in the buildings to have effective learning going on those particular days," he said.

Russell said the district hopes they won't have to postpone any more classes down the road due to the heat. They recently received approval for a $179 million project to install air conditioning in all of their schools.

Meantime, the midweek heat not only will be uncomfortable, but also dangerous, according to Dr. Trevor Lewis, chair of the emergency medicine department at Cook County Health.

"Normally our body will get rid of its excess heat by sweating, and then having that sweat evaporate off of the skin. It's very hard to do when we get high heat and humidity. It impairs our normal mechanisms to get rid of that heat," Lewis said.

Heat exhaustion can quickly turn into heat stroke.

"You might feel dizzy, a little lightheaded, a headache," Lewis said.

Keeping hydrated and staying in a shaded place can help prevent this.

"Get maybe 16 ounces of fluids on board before you go, and then drinking 6 to 8 ounces every maybe 15 to 20 minutes," Lewis said.

This goes for pets, too.

"They obviously have a lot of fur, which is something that sometimes we just don't think about how these different temperatures going to affect them," said said Mika Carten, director of the adoptions program at the South Suburban Humane Society.

In Matteson, the South Suburban Humane Society is also trying to stay cool. At capacity, they're asking for help.

"The biggest concern at our Homewood adoption center is just the fact that we do have a working air conditioner, but just considering the crazy heat that is about to happen, we're just really concerned about the pets' health," Carten said. "We are in desperate need of foster care right now."