Students at Oswego East High School resume in-person classes following flood-related building damage

OSWEGO, Ill. (WLS) — Thousands of students in the far western suburbs head back to class Wednesday morning, after damage from flooding.

The Oswego East High School Principal Laura Bankowski said some areas still need work, but most of the school is ready for its 2,700 students to return after two days of e-learning.

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At least 11 schools, nearly half of them in the district, have water damage from recent rains.

Hallways and rooms on multiple school floors were waterlogged and damaged.

Parts of Oswego East are still drying out after a third floor drain pipe failed during last weekend’s downpours, sending water cascading down to the first floor.

“Went down stairwells, went through the flooring, in between walls, that type of thing,” principal Bankowski said.

“Just saw kids in the school a couple days ago, and then just to see this happen over the weekend was quite shocking,” Kristen Campbell, District 308 assistant superintendent, said.

Other schools in the district also saw problems.

At Oswego High School, a gym damaged by water could be closed for weeks.

At Long Beach Elementary, a water soaked section of the school is now unusable.

And at least eight other schools are also experiencing minor leaks and damage.

Although Oswego East students return to in-person learning Wednesday, administrators say the damage could take several weeks to fully repair.