Chicago Public Schools, City Colleges To Reopen Friday
UPDATED 02/03/11 11:54 a.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges will resume classes Friday, after the great blizzard this week shut them down for two days.
At a news conference late Thursday morning, Mayor Richard M. Daley said the schools would reopen Friday.
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The schools were closed Wednesday, as the blizzard raged and dumped 20.2 inches of snow on the city, whipped by winds of 60 to 70 mph. The schools and city colleges remained closed Thursday, as the accumulated snow made many students, teachers and staff unable to get to the schools.
It was the first time since 1999 that Chicago Public Schools were closed for snow.
But while the schools will reopen Friday, busing will be suspended until Monday. Of about 400,000 CPS students, about 5 percent are bused to school every day, "and it's important that we have clear and safe passage for them," Chicago Public Schools chief executive officer Terry Mazany said.
Many of the pupils who are bused are special education students, who require special lifts or transportation that is not possible with the level of snow now on the ground, Mazany said.
One major concern that had kept the schools closed was a lack of power in many school buildings. Mazany said only a few schools remained without power as of midday Thursday, down from 47 overnight. CPS is working with ComEd to restore power to the handful of remaining schools, he said.
Many of the pupils who are bused are special education students, who require special lifts or transportation that is not possible with the level of snow now on the ground, Mazany said.
Also Thursday, City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Cheryl Hyman said the majority of the seven City College campuses are now fully accessible, and all facilities will be open Friday.
