The Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies will reopen for in-person classes on Wednesday morning after flooding from a water main break on Friday in Skokie canceled school on Tuesday, District 65 announced in an evening email to families.
Facilities staff worked the holiday weekend and into Tuesday to address the damage, Superintendent Angel Turner said, and the district also hired Giertsen Restoration Services to assist.
“All standing water was safely drained and damaged materials including ceiling tiles, carpet, baseboards, drywall, technology, and instructional materials were safely removed and disposed of if they could not be salvaged,” Turner said in the email. “Industrial, high powered fans and dehumidifiers have been running all weekend to dry out the impacted areas. All spaces have since been reconstructed and restored with the exception of the library, which the restoration team is still working on.”
The district also brought in True North Consultants on Tuesday morning to test the air in the building for dust and mold, among other things. Only one classroom and the library came back positive for “elevated” levels, according to Turner, who said that “impacted classrooms and the library will remain closed to students and staff to allow further cleaning and retesting.”
“Classrooms using these spaces will be temporarily relocated to other parts of the building while restoration and mitigation efforts continue,” she said.
All classroom HVAC systems are “self-contained,” Turner continued, so the air with “elevated” dust and mold “remains contained within the impacted spaces and does not circulate throughout the building.” As a result, she said, the affected area “does not pose a safety concern” to anyone returning to the building on Wednesday.
Additionally, while District 65 had to report an individual building closure to the Regional Office of Education, Bessie Rhodes students and staff will not have to make up the missed day later in the year.
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