BRONZEVILLE — St. Elizabeth Catholic School will be closed for at least the next school year because lead paint was found during summer work on the building, the Archdiocese of Chicago announced Wednesday.
The students from the school at 4052 S. Wabash Ave. will combine with Holy Angels Catholic School, 750 E. 40th St., for at least the 2015-16 school year, according to the archdiocese.
“During our work this summer to improve the St. Elizabeth school facility, we identified serious building safety issues,” said Mary Kearney, interim superintendent of schools for the archdiocese. “We place the safety of our students first, and once the situation became clear, we immediately sought another way to help St. Elizabeth students continue their education in the Catholic tradition.”
Siobharn Cafferty, principal of St. Elizabeth, will lead the combined school.
"While doing much-needed improvements over the summer, lead paint was found after it was exposed during the repair work, making the entire school building unsafe, said Susan Burritt, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese.
Additional funding will be provided to Holy Angels for the coming year, and students transferring to Holy Angels from St. Elizabeth will get a reduction in their tuition and will be provided bus service to Holy Angels from St. Elizabeth.
The Chicago Department of Buildings lists no building code violations, and the only recent building permits are to replace a fire alarm control panel in February 2014.
A community planning process to resolve the long-term issues with Catholic education options with the sudden closure of St. Elizabeth will begin in October, according to the archdiocese.
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