Illinois quick hits: Heat returns for first school day; school emergency awareness

Heat returns for first school day

As the hottest temperatures of the year descend on Illinois, the largest school district in the state welcomes students back to class Monday.

More than 300,000 students will head back to the classroom as the first day of Chicago Public Schools begins. The first day of the school year was moved to begin a week later than usual due to the Democratic National Convention.

School emergency awareness

As students head back into classrooms across Illinois, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security is encouraging families to think about all the ways children can be prepared.

Each year, schools must deal with severe weather, transportation problems, digital safety and even violence. Students can confidentially reach out to Safe2Help several ways, including texting SAFE2 or downloading the Safe2HelpIL app. Since its 2021 inception, over 3,000 incidents have been reported.

Largest corn maze opens soon

Organizers of the world’s largest corn maze are making final preparations before opening Sept. 7.

Richardson Adventure Farm in Spring Grove boasts a 28-acre live corn maze with over nine miles of winding trails. Last year’s theme took inspiration from the film Jurassic Park and featured a T-rex. This year’s theme pays tribute to John Deere.