Sauk Valley schools start with 2-hour delay; some later decide to cancel, switch to e-learning

DIXON – Icy roads caused most Sauk Valley-area school districts to declare two-hour school start delays Monday. But as buses struggled on secondary roads, some schools changed their plans by calling off school altogether.

Dixon’s school district was one of them, first issuing a two-hour delay that would push class start times to 9:45 a.m. The district later came back and announced that it was canceling school due to road conditions. Other schools, including Morrison, Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico and Erie, followed suit. Polo and River Bend also reversed course on their two-hour delays, deciding instead to shift to an e-learning day Monday.

At the same time schools were announcing their plans for the day, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was fielding numerous reports of black ice. The sheriff’s office announced on Facebook that vehicles were spinning out and going into ditches because they were unaware of the icy conditions.

The ice was the result of a storm system that arrived Sunday night and brought a wintry mix and freezing rain. More of the same is expected into Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. The NWS says to plan on slippery road conditions and hazardous conditions affecting early Tuesday morning commutes.

The NWS on Monday morning issued a winter weather advisory in effect until noon Tuesday for portions of northern Illinois, including Lee and Whiteside counties. Periods of freezing rain with additional ice accumulations of one-tenth to two-tenths of an inch are predicted.

The latest road conditions for Illinois can be obtained on the internet at www.gettingaroundillinois.com.