Decatur Public Schools Closes Both Dennis Lab School Buildings for 2023-24 School Year

Decatur, Illinois — Administration at Decatur Public Schools has recently learned that both Dennis Lab School buildings are structurally compromised. As such, administration and the Board of Education have determined that students and staff will not be in the two Dennis Lab School campuses for the 2023-24 school year.

“Safety is our first priority. Although we do not have a timeline as to when these structural findings will be addressed or the cost associated with the findings, we do know Dennis Lab School students will not attend school this fall at the two sites,” said Dr. Rochelle Clark, Superintendent of Decatur Public Schools.

“We are currently looking at options for our Dennis school community and hope to have a solid recommendation for the DPS Board of Education to approve at its June 27, 2023, regularly scheduled Board meeting, if not sooner. We will share updated information as it becomes available, as well as schedule a community forum to share those recommendations with our Dennis families.

“On our website at www.dps61.org, you’ll find information that includes structural evaluations of each building and recommendations by engineers, as well as a timeline of events that led up to these findings, the latest Health Life Safety reviews for each building, Frequently Asked Questions, and planned next steps. Again, both Dennis Lab School campuses remain closed until further notice.”