The pools at Vernon Hills and Libertyville high schools must be emptied and closed by Friday because they do not comply with a 2008 federal law requiring drains that won’t trap swimmers underwater, officials said.
State inspectors notified Community High School District 128 last year that both pools need updated drains installed by the state’s Oct. 1 deadline, Superintendent Prentiss Lea told frustrated parents at a meeting on Monday night. But Lea said the issue was not brought to him for placement on a priority list.
A meeting to discuss the problem with parents and pool users has been scheduled for 7:00 tonight in the Vernon Hills High School Studio Theater.
“I take full responsibility on behalf of the school district for our failure to comply with this process,” Lea said. “We understand the magnitude of disruption to our many pool users. Had we followed our compliance process, we would not be having this conversation … That does not absolve us for our responsibility for not putting this in our compliance queue. That is not the D128 way.”
