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Schools

District 128 Takes Pool Issue to Springfield on Sept. 26

Community High School District 128 officials are taking steps to avoiding pool closures at Libertyville and Vernon Hills high schools.

In a race to get the school district’s pools in compliance with federal safety mandates by an Oct. 1 deadline, Community High School District 128 will meet face to face with Illinois Department of Public Health officials on Monday, Sept. 26, to seek approval of repair plans.

“We were initially told that we shouldn’t believe we will walk out with approvals, but this allows us the opportunity to have a conversation,” District Superintendant Prentiss Lea told concerned parents, faculty, and board members at a public meeting on Wednesday.

Pool drains will need to be replaced with mechanisms that meet federal safety standards. The district says that fixes were not made prior to the deadline because initial communication from the health department regarding the compliance did not follow standard protocol.

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“Communication did not come through my office,” Lea said. “As I tell you that, it’s not an excuse for not getting this done, it’s just factually correct. We did not handle this compliance issue well. It’s not usually the way we do business. We apologize and realize the magnitude of this disruption.”

Seeks Deadline Extension

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Approvals are needed before the district can begin modifications to the district’s two pools at and Vernon Hills High School. According to Melaney Arnold, a health department spokeswoman, the district’s plans were received Aug. 4, but the proposed drain change did not meet the code requirements. She says the second submission, received Sept. 12, also was not compliant.

Lea will bring new plans as well as pool and district engineers to his meeting in Springfield on Sept. 26. He thanked the district parents who called the health department, saying that he would not have been as successful getting a face to face appointment without their help.

The district is also working with local government officials, including state Sen. Terry Link, D-Waukegan, and , who are assisting the district in asking that the deadline be extended until Jan. 1.

Parents Hopeful After Meeting

District officials and parents were hopeful after the meeting that the pools will be fixed with few disruptions. Lea described the progress of the last few days as “positive momentum.”

“I think everyone is putting their best efforts forward, and I’m hopeful everyone will come together to get to a solution as quickly as possible,” said Vernon Hills High School parent Barbara Ochoa.

“The people of Vernon Hills and Libertyville have been terrific,” Vern Hills High athletic director Brian McDonald said after the meeting. “Since we’ve enlisted the community support in trying to help us resolve this situation, they’ve made phone calls and brought attention to the issue. Now people are talking to us and we’re getting movement.”

Looking for Alternative Pools

McDonald said that in the case that a resolution is not reached by the Oct. 1 deadline, he and the athletic department have been speaking with other area high schools, including Lake Forest, Stevenson, and Mundelein, to find alternative pools for team and club swim activities.

The repair work, when approved, will take two weeks for completion and cost the district $6,000.

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