Downed power lines lead to school closures in McHenry County

Extensive power outages and downed electrical lines have led to school closures in McHenry County.

Crystal Lake School District 47, Community High School District 155 and Community School District 300 reported school buildings without power, the districts said on their websites.

ComEd reported 26% of its customers in McHenry County – or nearly 27,000 customers – were without power. In Crystal Lake that is 41% and in Lakewood 58%, District 155 noted, making remote learning impossible.

Restoration times at the Crystal Lake District 47 were ranging from Thursday night to Saturday.

“The widespread outages also impacts our ability to staff our schools. We plan to resume school tomorrow - Friday, February 24, 2023, but will keep you updated,” District 47 said on its website.

Cary School District 26, Fox River Grove School District 3 and Prairie School District 46 also closed their doors Thursday, as did Marengo Community High School District 154, due to power outages in the area as well as additional issues at the high school building. The closure affects only the high school in Marengo.

Riley School District 18, also in Marengo, closed Thursday, citing “road hazards, power outages in the community, and staffing issues.”

Algonquin-based Community School District 300 closed two of its buildings – Golfview Elementary School and and Westfield Community School – due to power outages, according to its website.

The entire district started two hours late with classes to end at their regular time. As a result, all-half day preschool programs were canceled, but full-day also was operating on a delayed-start schedule.

McHenry County College was scheduled to be closed until 10 a.m. Thursday due to loss of power from Wednesday’s storm.