On the night of November 1, 2023 Lockport Township High School’s Central Campus, which houses the school’s freshman students, had a plaster ceiling collapse on the third floor. The next morning after the incident was discovered, administration treated the situation as an emergency and evacuated students and staff at Central Campus. Then for nearly two weeks, freshman Porters resorted to e-learning giving staff members the option to work from home or utilize the Port at East Campus. During this time, administration was working to find a solution to get freshmen back to in-person learning without compromising their safety and well being. After carefully considering all of the options moving forward, the District 205 Board of Education in a 7-0 vote decided the temporary move to the unoccupied Lincoln Way North High School was the best decision.
After reaching a rent agreement which was approved by the District 210 at their Board of Education meeting, work to get the school in ready condition started the very next day. Mr. Dusterhoft, Director of Technology, and his staff figured out a way to maintain the internet connection from central and tunnel it over to North. Classrooms were grouped by department, keeping primarily English and Language classes, Math and Biology, and Elective and Social Studies classes together. To prepare for reintroduction of freshmen, moving trucks were used to transport equipment and materials to the temporary campus.
Teachers and staff had to figure out how they were going to prepare for students. The class of 2027 leadership group came in for the day and helped teachers move in and adjust. Because of the differences in class numbers, the teachers and staff posted signs to each classroom in use that shows which teachers and original number are stationed there, and there are maps posted in various areas over the school to help students and staff navigate. Now that both students and staff are fully moved into North, there are a few major changes that have been seen in both the students and teachers day to day life. Freshman students must now take a 25 minute shuttle from Lockport’s East Campus to Lincoln Way North in the morning. Because of this process, the 9th graders’ day now begins 45 minutes later than normal at 8:30 am. Once the school day officially begins, students spend 37 minutes in each of their classes as opposed to 44 with 3 minute passing periods instead of 4. Then at 1:50 pm, almost an hour earlier than at Central, their school day ends and are shuttled back to East where they wait around 20 to 30 minutes for the school day at East to end and be bussed home.
Overall, it seems that the transition has gone as smoothly as the school and administration had hoped it would. Though under normal circumstances, the learning conditions are not ideal, when considering the situation, this option is favorable to the full online or hybrid learning we experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the rotational schedule that Lockport implemented due to overpopulation in the late 2000s and early 2010s. However, both students and staff hope to return to Central Campus sometime during the second semester of the 2023-2024 school year.
