At 8:46 pm on Tuesday, February 1, Parker released an email announcing the cancellation of classes and the closure of school for Wednesday, February 2. The Snow Day was in response to the winter storms occurring across the Chicagoland Area, causing treacherous driving conditions. Parker told community members to assume classes will resume on Thursday.

Almost three hours before the official cancellation email, an email was sent to the Parker community titled “Planning Ahead for Inclement Weather.” The email announced that the weather was being monitored closely and if there was a cancellation, it would be announced before 6 am on Wednesday morning. The email also advised students and employees to assess for themselves whether it would be safe to come to school regardless of the administration’s decision.

Notification of the closure was also available on the Parker portal website. Some students say the notification appeared on the portal a couple of hours prior to the official email. “This caused a lot of confusion amongst me and my friends,” said junior Malachi Mitchell, “but right now I’m just happy we have a snow day.”

Cook County has been expected to have anywhere between 5-11 inches of snow after Wednesday according to NBC 5 Chicago. The snow is expected to hit counties and suburbs south of Chicago the hardest, with upwards of 14 inches expected in many areas.

Parker chose to cancel all classes and activities despite the online learning options introduced in response to COVID-19. Saint Ignatius College Prep canceled classes for Wednesday but said they will be going online if the shutdown continues to Thursday.

Latin School of Chicago and The University Of Chicago Laboratory Schools have also canceled school for Wednesday while Chicago Public Schools chose to stay open.