LTHS Central Students Remain In Remote Learning Until Nov. 15

LOCKPORT, IL — LTHS Central students will remain in remote learning until the school districts are ready for students to move into Lincoln-Way North High School in Frankfort, according to an update from LTHS District 205.

The LTHS Board of Education approved a resolution to resume in-person learning at Lincoln-Way North at an emergency meeting on Tuesday. The Lincoln-Way District 210 Board of Education will meet Thursday to discuss the relocation.

Lincoln-Way North High School has been closed since 2016.

The move to Lincoln-Way North comes after a classroom ceiling collapsed at LTHS Central campus last week. The District has said that students will not return to Central Campus until it is safe to do so.

District 205 said it hopes and plans for Central students to start this in-person learning on Nov. 15.

"Over the next few days, we are continuing to work with our Central Campus staff to allow them time to be able to relocate their classroom items to Lincoln-Way North High School, and we will continue to work on a couple of schedule modules for Central Campus," the District said in an update on Wednesday.

The District anticipates one day of no instruction before the move takes place.

Bus transportation to and from Lincoln-Way North High School will be provided for students, the District said. Lincoln-Way North is located off of Harlem Avenue in Frankfort.

At Tuesday's meeting, LTHS Superintendent Bob McBride showed a risk assessment map from the forensic architect firm of low risk to high risk ceiling construction areas at LTHS Central campus.

The District has found that some rooms even have several layers of ceiling, using different techniques of ceiling installation.

On the lower level of the school, the cafeteria was assessed as "low risk," but there was a small area of low to medium risk.

On the first floor, there is a large section that is still low risk, and a smaller low to medium risk in the Smith Foyer area. However, there is a medium to high risk area in two hallways, and one corner classroom.

On the second floor of the school, many areas are again in the low risk, or low to medium risk category. However, business classrooms and foods classrooms on the second floor are medium to high risk, as well as one small office area. There are also a few classrooms that were assessed at medium risk level.

The third floor of the school, which is where the collapse occurred, does have several classrooms in the high risk assessment.

The only section that forensic architects found to be high risk is up in the northwest corner of the school on the third floor, McBride said.

"We are taking action right now [on that area], because we know that action needs to be taken on those rooms," McBride said. Adjacent to the high risk area, a hallway and biology classrooms are in the medium to high risk category.

Medium to high risk ceilings should be considered for replacement, officials said. High risk ceilings need to be removed as quickly as possible.

"This is going to take longer than we thought," McBride said. He believes it will take at least a month to two months, or possibly even three to four months, for repairs.

The District said it will continue to share specifics about school operations as soon as it can.