District 300 Looks at Carpenterville Site for Out-of-School Suspension Center

A child care center in Carpentersville is being considered by the Community Unit District 300 as site for out-of-school suspensions and possibly adult continuing education classes, according to a Daily Herald report.

The Tom Thumb Community Child Care Center, 116 Carpenter Blvd., which the school district acquired in a land swap with Children’s Home and Aid, currently is being evaluated to see if the 27,000-square-foot site meets state school codes, the report stated. If the facility doesn’t meet school code requirements, the district would consider using it as a community center for local social service agencies, the report added.

»Via The Daily Herald

The building can hold 230 students, and as an out-of-school suspension site, the center would probably start by housing 20 kids with the ability to expand, the report stated. Parents would be responsible for transporting their children to and from the facility, and the site would be a place where school district officials could counsel students and make sure they don’t fall behind in their classes while on suspension, the report added.

This wouldn’t be the first time the district created and used an off-campus suspension site for students, the report stated. The district created a suspension facility in a former school years ago that housed a maximum of 50 students, but it was shut down as the number of out-of-school suspensions decreased, the report added.

However the facility is used, the district still would need to pony up $50,000 to $75,000 to rehab the building, the report stated.