Woodland school to open Monday after electrical issues
Students will be back at Barrington Area Unit District 220's Woodland Early Learning Center Monday, after an electrical problem forced the closing of the school last week.
Early Thursday morning, a minor electrical problem caused a shutdown of the heating system and resulted in some smoke accumulating inside the Carpentersville school, said Barrington Area Unit District 220 Superintendent Tom Leonard.
The problem started as students were beginning to arrive for school, so Leonard said parents who drove their children were advised of the situation and many just went home.
The students who came by bus were taken to nearby Sunny Hill Elementary School until the situation could be resolved.
The Carpentersville Fire Department determined that there was no threat of fire and no issues with air quality.
No children were in danger at any time, Leonard said.
In order to make electrical repairs, though, the heating needed to remain off for several hours, he said. So the school was closed for the day and students were sent home, Leonard said.
Everything was fixed and back to normal by Thursday afternoon, he said.
Friday happened to be a day off for students in District 220, though Leonard said the school would otherwise have been open.
The electrical problem, Leonard said does serve as another reminder for the issues facing Woodland.
"It's an old building and things in old buildings break down easier than in new buildings," Leonard said.
For several years, the district has been trying to find a new home for the center, which serves identifiably at-risk 3- to 5-year-olds.
Officials have said Woodland does not comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, has poor ventilation, no air-conditioning, bathrooms that are not sized for preschoolers and electrical problems.
Earlier this year, voters rejected the district's request to spend $15.9 million to buy and renovate the former Health World children's museum in Barrington for the state-mandated early childhood program.