The newest elementary school in Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 is not expected to open in August for the new school year but could be ready for classes in November.
School officials recently announced that they had prepared a contingency plan for the 850 students who will attend Meadow View Elementary School, 2501 Mirage Ave.
And district officials expect that they’ll have to implement the plan, said Jon Balke, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.
A delay in finishing the building’s masonry work has put construction behind schedule. The 2000-2001 school year starts Aug. 23.
Meadow View students will go to one of three schools, taking classes in multipurpose areas such as gyms, Balke said. Kindergarten and fifth-grade pupils will attend Wesmere Elementary School, he said.
First- and 2nd-graders will attend Timber Ridge Middle School, and 3rd- and 4th-graders will attend River View Elementary School.
Students will attend classes at their temporary school from 8:05 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.
To help with bus schedules and class logistics, they will start an hour earlier than other elementary school pupils, Balke said.
The Meadow View staff plans to hold meetings this summer to brief parents about the contingency plan, Principal Jerry O’Shea said.
The dates for those meetings will be announced later this month.
The contractor is sticking to a Nov. 15 date for opening the new school, Balke said.
Once the masonry work is complete, the contractor might be able to speed up the project, he said.
“He does not want to go out on a limb about the completion date because he does not want to get anybody’s hopes up,” Balke said.
