Parents will know Wednesday if Algonquin School will open
Des Plaines Elementary District 62 officials said Tuesday afternoon they won't release their decision about Algonquin Middle School tonight after all.
Instead, parents will find out if the school is opening Aug. 23, or what other arrangements are being made, first at 8 a.m. Wednesday when they come to the first of two student registration sessions.
The registration sessions will run 8 to 10:30 a.m. and again from 4 to 8 p.m., both at Orchard Place School, 2727 Maple St.
District 62 issued a statement Tuesday guaranteeing the start of classes on Aug. 23 as scheduled, but did not mention whether Algonquin School would be ready for school opening.
A three-week laborer's strike in July halted construction at Algonquin, Chippewa, Forest and Cumberland schools, threatening their on-time openings. Much of the work was supposed to be completed before the start of the 2010-2011 school year.
After work resumed on July 20, all three schools except Algonquin were cleared to open on Aug. 23.
District 62 officials have been investigating alternative sites to house Algonquin's 700 students in case that building is not ready.
It is unclear whether all students will have to be outplaced, or whether some of the students and staff will be able to use a portion of Algonquin School.
Officials said they will post information about Algonquin's construction status on the district's website, d62.org, Wednesday morning.
On Monday, district officials received a detailed briefing from the architect and construction management firm, Wight & Co., about the status of all construction projects.
Though some construction work will continue at all the schools after Aug. 23, it won't disrupt students' learning, or impact their health and safety, the official statement read.
Hallways in the schools where construction is ongoing may have unfinished cement floors and missing ceiling tiles, but will be clean and safe, the statement read.
"Exterior site work, including parking, sidewalks, and curbs, remains a priority for completion before the start of school, weather permitting," the statement read.
All school sites will be inspected and approved by the Regional Office of Education on or before Aug. 18.
Parents and staff will then receive more details about transportation pickups and drop-offs, food service, and other updates through the district's AlertNow system, the district's website and Twitter.
Parents may email questions or concerns to build@d62.org. Starting Aug. 18, the district will activate its Construction Update hotline, (847) 824-0612.