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Students in Kankakee are beginning to return to classrooms this week after last week’s severe storms and the March 10 tornado forced district-wide closures. While most schools are reopening, Kankakee High School will shift temporarily to remote learning as crews complete repairs on significant roof and water damage.
What families need to know this week
The district has announced there will be no classes on Tuesday in Kankakee School District 111; regular in-person instruction is expected to resume on Wednesday for most grade levels after a five-day interruption.
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Kankakee High School students will not be on campus Wednesday but will attend via e-learning while maintenance and safety work continue. District officials say the move to virtual instruction is temporary and intended to allow contractors to address immediate structural and water-damage issues.
- Tuesday: District 111 — no classes
- Wednesday: Most schools reopen in person; Kankakee High School begins temporary e-learning
- Makeup days: The days missed during storm closures are being treated as emergency days and will be added to the end of the academic calendar
Scope of the damage and ongoing repairs
District leaders say every campus saw some damage, but a handful of schools were notably affected. Maintenance teams remain on site, and the district is working with insurers to plan longer-term fixes such as roof replacements.
Superintendent Teresa Lance described the damage as uneven across the system, identifying Kennedy, Taft and Kankakee Junior High as among the hardest hit and naming the high school as the site with the most extensive destruction. Repair crews are prioritizing safety and essential systems before restoring full access.
Work underway includes tarping and temporary water mitigation, assessments by structural contractors, and coordination with insurance adjusters to schedule major repairs. Officials say some projects — notably full roof replacement and HVAC work — will take weeks to complete.
Bishop McNamara, Kankakee Community College and community support
Bishop McNamara Catholic School reopened two of its locations — Bradley and Bourbonnais — on Monday. The Kankakee campus suffered heavier losses, including dozens of damaged skylights and multiple broken windows, plus water and roof damage; junior high and high school students there are slated to return on Tuesday.
Local restoration firms credited with clearing and certifying the Bishop McNamara Kankakee site include ServePro of Kankakee, ServePro of Champaign/Urbana and PSI Construction, which conducted safety assessments before students were permitted back inside.
Kankakee Community College resumed normal operations at all facilities on Monday after temporarily closing the Riverfront Campus and some local manufacturing extension sites in Kankakee, Bradley and Watseka to inspect and repair storm damage.
- Schools assessed and cleared by private contractors before reopening
- KCC Riverfront Campus reopened after safety checks
- Temporary shelter relocated from KCC to Redeeming Life Ministries, 2400 Waldron Road
The American Red Cross had operated a shelter on KCC’s Riverfront Campus immediately after the storms; that shelter has since moved to Redeeming Life Ministries at 2400 Waldron Road in Kankakee.
District officials say they will continue to post status updates as repairs progress and as decisions about any additional schedule changes are finalized. Families should watch official district communications for the latest information on building access, transportation and instructional plans.
