Wednesday, February 4, 2015

No School? Why?-- Part 5: Illness and Elections

We had another three inches of snow last night, but schools weren't called off.  So far this new year, schools have been closed three days.  Two for extreme cold and one for snow.

ILLNESS

Smallpox, measles, scarlet fever and influenza outbreaks have shut down individual schools across the Chicagoland area dozens of times over the decades, but polio hit schools particularly hard because of the way the disease targeted children.

The polio scare of 1937 delayed the start of school in the fall in Chicago and suburbs for three weeks.  There was a similar scare in 1941.


ELECTIONS

City schools were closed on Election Day for many years.  In 1928, city schools urged principals and teachers, "Vote for any candidate you choose, but be certain to vote."

--Cooter

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