District 86 Closing Grade School? 1st Public Hearing Will Take Place Thursday

JOLIET, IL — Joliet's Public School District is considering closing the A.O. Marshall Grade School due to declining enrollment. Marshall is the first public school identified by District 86 officials for possible closure.

At 6 p.m. Thursday, the school board for District 86 will hold a special public hearing at Marshall, 319 Harwood St. No action will be taken at the meeting. People who attend the meeting are asked to enter through Door #1 in the front of the school building.

District spokeswoman Sandy Zalewski told Joliet Patch that enrollment at Marshall has been in steady decline over time and this year, the K-5 grade school is down to 210 students. Zalewski said that the second public hearing will be held at Singleton and the third public hearing will be back at Marshall. District 86 must have three public hearings before making a decision on closing the school.