Grayslake Middle School will be closed for at least a month after the building experienced major issues due to the extreme cold temperatures this week, officials said.
Community Consolidated School District 46 Superintendent Dr. Lynn Glickman said there were significant issues with boilers, unit ventilators and sprinkler heads at Grayslake Middle School due to the cold weather.
“Yesterday, we were informed by our contractors that due to the scope of the repairs that will need to be made at GMS, we will not be able to reopen that building for several weeks,” Glickman said in a message to the school community Thursday.
The current estimate is four to six weeks for repairs to be made. “I know that this is difficult news to process, but I’m glad that I’m able to share this news while also sharing a plan moving forward,” Glickman said.
The district will be opening “GMS East” while Grayslake Middle School is being restored.
Classes will temporarily be held at the University Center of Lake County, which is on the College of Lake County campus in Grayslake.
The University Center of Lake County, which is a non-profit organization separate from CLC, said they are “so excited” to host the more than 600 middle schoolers.
“This is a magnificent facility which is filled with school amenities such as spacious classrooms, a beautiful auditorium, a health center, and a kitchen, all of which will allow onsite learning to continue for students,” Glickman said.
Grayslake Middle School students and teachers have been E-Learning this week during the closure.
An emergency no-school day is scheduled for Monday for students as all staff members will be at the new “GMS East” in order to prepare for in-person learning to begin Tuesday.
“Our team is currently working through many details, including bussing, food service, class schedule adjustments, and movement of supplies. We appreciate your patience as plans continue to be made,” Glickman said.
“I’m enormously proud of and grateful for the hard working team members who are focused on creating a smooth transition to GMS East! As you can imagine, quite a lot of work goes into opening a new school, and we are developing that plan over a matter of days,” Glickman added.
The school district thanked the staff at University Center for being generous with their time and expertise.
“The team at University Center is accustomed to having middle schoolers onsite, as North Chicago School District 187 used the space in the Fall of 2022 when that district temporarily needed a space for middle schoolers,” Glickman said.
Students at nearby Frederick School in Grayslake also continued with E-Learning on Friday.
The building’s fire suppression system remains frozen and the boilers are not providing consistent heat in the building at the school. A decision on in-person learning for next week has not been announced yet.
Other school buildings in the district are also having trouble with the cold weather and have experienced some leaks and colder areas in some of the buildings.
“Thank you for the flexibility and understanding of all of our stakeholders! I am so proud to serve this amazing community,” Glickman said.