OAKLAND — Parents of students at St. Elizabeth Catholic School were upbeat on the first day of school Monday after their school was abruptly closed.
The Archdiocese of Chicago announced Wednesday, less than a week before classes were to resume, that St. Elizabeth at 4052 S. Wabash Ave. would be combined with Holy Angels Catholic School, 750 E. 40th St. after lead paint was found in the building during work over the summer.
As kids filed into Holy Angels in their Catholic school uniforms Monday, parents were upbeat.
“A lot of people thought we were closed,” said Renita Sanders in front of the school Monday, where the ranks of her 7-year-old son’s second-grade class were suddenly full.
She predicted the combining of the schools would be good for both schools.
“It’s great; it means more people will be at our school and it will grow,” Sanders said.
Parents admitted the move to close the school was sudden, but they said they believed the archdiocese made the right decision when it found lead paint.
“I think it’s smart,” said Nicole Hill, whose grandson was starting kindergarten at Holy Angels on Monday instead of St. Elizabeth. “If it could have affected the health of the children, it’s smart to close the building.”
Other parents said they were excited because it meant more kids for their children to play with at the school.
There was a familiar face for St. Elizabeth parents Monday, with St. Elizabeth Principal Siobhan Cafferty picked to lead the combined schools.
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