Dennis teachers, parents get answers about plan for next school year

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — Decatur parents and teachers are finally getting answers about the plan for Dennis Lab Schools. The Kaleidoscope and Mosaic campuses have been closed since the last week of May, when engineers found the buildings were structurally unsafe.

Leaking ceilings, cracked stairs and deteriorating joints, engineers said the more than hundred year old Dennis Lab School buildings are no longer safe.

"You're not the only one not sleeping at night, thinking about what could have happened," Superintendent Dr. Rochelle Clark, told WAND News.

DPS61 got this report two weeks ago, sending staff scrambling to create a temporary plan for the 500 students set to return to school in eight weeks.

"We were looking at what is the most expeditious way to get kids into a building, and to do that you need to utilize an existing school building," Kent Metzger, Director of Building and Grounds for DPS61, told WAND News.

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Dr. Clark is hoping to move Garfield Learning Academy students to a wing of Stephen Decatur Middle School, and then place Dennis grades K-6 at Garfield.

"I'm hopeful that we're going in the right direction with everything that's happening," Dennis special education teacher, Ashley Tyler, told WAND News.

Seventh and 8th grade Dennis students would then move into empty classrooms in Stephen Decatur Middle School.

"I don't think it's detrimental to have 7th and 8th grade away. I think the biggest problem is having 6th grade away from the 7th and 8th graders, because they're used to middle school and that's how we've been running our program for so long," Phillip Winecke, a science teacher for Dennis Lab Schools, told WAND News.

There won't be enough room for all K-6 students in Garfield, so the DPS61 board has voted to lease modular classrooms that will be installed on the Garfield campus.

"I think realistically we all need to look at each other and say 'it's probably going to be a year out of the building,'" DPS61 School Board President Bill Clevenger said.

Teachers said they're now focused on creating the best experience for students next year, despite the circumstances.

"I feel hopeful that the board has heard us and central administration has heard us, and that we're moving forward," Winecke explained.

The district is working to hire a masonry specialist who will review the engineer report, and determine what the cost would be to repair the Dennis Schools. The board is expected to discuss next steps at it next meeting Tuesday.