June 20, 2023 – The Decatur Public School Board will hold a special board meeting to discuss plans for the future of Dennis Lab School’s students and staff.
The Board of Education will meet in open session in MacArthur High School’s auditorium at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 21 and potentially take action on agenda items as appropriate. Wednesday’s meeting comes after DPS officially declared both Dennis Lab School campuses structurally unfit for staff and over 500 students to return to in the fall.
“We’re looking at our current buildings to see who can house them and give them the best educational support in the upcoming year,” said Dr. Rochelle Clark, DPS 61’s Superintendent, at a press conference last week. “We’re doing our best to keep them all together. That’s the goal—not to have them scattered throughout the district.”
Last August, the Board voted not to allocate state-awarded funding toward building a new Dennis campus to replace both aging buildings after community members voiced their concerns. The grant was instead directed toward improving the existing American Dreamer STEM Academy, but new structural inspections of the Dennis buildings show damage to staircases and exterior walls.
To read more about the closure announcement made last week, click HERE. To review DPS 61 resources for Dennis families, click HERE.
