Looking outside and seeing snow on the ground doesn’t just qualify for the faculty and staff members of LHS to call it off. There are many factors that are reviewed by the district administration.

Dr. Mary Ticknor, superintendent of the high school, has the authority in deciding whether the school should be either cancelled or delayed. Before any decision is officially made, Ticknor meets with representatives from the Village of Lemont, members of the administrative team, and District 113A Superintendent Dr. Courtney Orzel.

“I really hesitate to cancel school for minor accumulation of snow. That could happen so frequently that students will expect to have every day off that it snows”  said Ticknor.

On Monday, January 28, many school districts had closed down due to the inclimate weather. Lemont however, decided to keep the school in session, with one bus route being delayed. Students that came in tardy were not marked, and the streets were backed up from all main roads of the high school.

Ticknor looks at the amount of predicted snow and looks at several different sources, for example national sources, such as NBS. In addition, the amount of precipitation, wind and temperatures with wind chill.

Wednesday, January 30, was expected to be in the sub-zero temperatures. This created a situation that will be reviewed and monitored daily in order to fully recognize if school should be cancelled or not.

“Here is the problem calling off for temperature; It’s only the temperature that we are cancelling for, meaning that if this was going to happen again, being in the sub-zero temperatures, then there will be a standard set for expectations on when to and when not to close down the school,” said Ticknor.