Illinois students begin returning to their high schools to clear out lockers
CICERO, Ill. - With schools officially closed through the remainder of the current term by Governor JB Pritzker, there are questions about what is to be done with all the stuff the students left behind.
Some districts are now reopening their buildings to allow students to clean out their lockers and take care of some final business.
The bell still rings at Morton East high school in Cicero, but now it’s an empty echo with the hallways no longer crowded with students.
“It’s sad. I miss the teachers. Miss the loudness too,” said student Esmerelda Bautista.
Bautista is one of a handful of students who returned to Morton East Monday, weeks after the building was shut down by the pandemic.
“She’s coming in to pick up some stuff from her locker and dropping off some uniforms. Soccer season was canceled so she’s got to turn in her uniform,” said Catalina Rivera, the mother of a student.
More than 8,000 students in Morton District 201 began filtering back into school to clean out their lockers and drop off clothes, athletic gear and musical equipment. It’s being done alphabetically over a two-week period with no more than 30 students allowed inside at a time.
The emphasis is on social distancing and sanitation.
“Kids have their personal space here in the building, and their lockers might have some pictures, some important memories that they might half of their family. So we’re definitely giving them an opportunity to clean out,” said Morton East Principal Jose Gamboa.
For seniors, it is especially poignant. It will be their last time inside the school as students, as administrators continue to work on something resembling a real graduation.
“We’re looking at virtual options. There’s s other things we can do to recognize them even between now and graduation time,” said District 201 Superintendent Tim Truesdale.
“Yeah, pretty sad. And this was my first year coming here and I’m gonna miss it. I had a pretty good year,” said student Julissa Bermejo.