Chicago Public Schools students: your extended weekend is over.
Classes resumed Wednesday at 658 schools after forecasts for bitter cold temperatures and high winds forced officials to cancel classes Monday and Tuesday.
"At CPS, the safety and security of Chicago’s children is among our top priorities," said CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett. "We are confident that we have made decisions this week in the best interest of student safety."
District officials added two days to the academic calendar -- March 28 and June 11 -- after the first round of closings on Jan. 5 and Jan. 6 and were working to find suitable make-up days on the calendar for the two days missed this week.
Chicago's average temperature for the winter season so far sits at 20.3 degrees, making it the 13th coldest winter since 1872, according to the National Weather Service. The average air temperature is 32 degrees, but the city was far below that on Tuesday when the low reached -11 degrees.
Historic area lows for Jan. 27 are -10 degrees in Chicago and -13 in Rockford. Records for Jan. 28 sit at -13 in Chicago and -22 in Rockford.
During the closure, Chicago Park District facilities continued to be open for families who sought alternative youth programs and services, officials said.
