CHICAGO (WLS) — Hundreds of thousands of Chicago public school students are returning to the classroom on Monday.

Due to the extreme heat in our region, school administrators are taking all precautions to ensure the safety of the students.

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It’s sure to be a hot day, but CPS says it’s ready. In a letter sent over the weekend, the district assured parents and students that all classrooms are equipped with air conditioning.

They also said that teams are ready to resolve any issues.

SEE ALSO: Chicago Weather: Extreme Heat Warning Goes Into Monday With Heat Index Over 100

In addition, a number of other precautions are being taken. Breaks and physical education classes are being moved indoors on Mondays and Tuesdays, while outdoor sports competitions are being cancelled and training sessions are being moved indoors or are also being cancelled.

Of course, the heat adds another day to the extensive planning needed to get CPS’s 634 schools ready for the first day. Maximizing attendance from day one is always a huge priority, so today, as it has done for years, CTA is offering free rides to all children from kindergarten through high school, along with an accompanying adult. Parents tell us they’re ready for both school and the heat.

“I’m going to try to prepare him as best I can and hydrate him and stuff like that,” parent Ben Linton said. “But they have transportation, so he’ll be fine.”

“I want our families to know that we’ve had our AC systems running all weekend, we even have window systems in some of our older buildings in every classroom,” said CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. “So we’re going to make sure that our kids are safe and we also have plenty of backups so if any of our systems go down, we’re ready to replace them. Our technicians are ready to replace them.”

As always, the mayor will be on hand for a ceremonial bell-ringing. This year, he will be joined by CPS CEO Pedro Martinez at McAuliffe Elementary School.