Oswego East High School Sees 'Most Significant Impact' From Weekend Storms: D308

OSWEGO, IL — Oswego East High School saw the worst damage of all Oswego Community Unit School District 308 in last weekend's storms, officials said.

The Chicagoland area experienced heavy rain and strong winds over the weekend, leading to water and wind damage across 11 District 308 buildings.

Oswego East "sustained the most significant impact," the district said Monday evening. A drain pipe failed, leading a "large volume of water" to rapidly enter the building and cause damage to multiple floors. Staff discovered the damage Sunday morning.

As a result, Oswego East students transitioned to e-learning Monday and Tuesday.

"A large team of restoration professionals remains on site, working around the clock to clean and dry the facility," the district said in a news release. "Despite these efforts, additional water continued to settle into the building through Sunday evening, and as a result, some areas require extensive repairs to be safe and usable for students and staff."

Oswego High School and Long Beach Elementary School were also damaged. Staff found standing water in the high school's gymnasium, athletic office and surrounding hallways, while one section of the elementary school became unusable after water compromised the walls, floors and insulation. Eight other schools experienced minor leaks and water damage, according to the release.

"We are grateful for the quick response of our facilities and operations teams, district and school leaders, and outside restoration professionals, who are working tirelessly to restore our schools," Superintendent Andalib Khelghati said in a statement. "The safety of our students and staff is our top priority, and we will continue to communicate updates as we learn more about the extent of the repairs needed and spaces that are impacted."

Officials said the storm further highlighted "the reality of aging buildings throughout the district," citing several cooling systems that no longer function correctly, prompting ongoing patchwork fixes to avoid moisture accumulation and help keep temperatures comfortable.

"Due to financial constraints, proactive maintenance was postponed for many years, leaving the district to address urgent issues as they arise rather than preventing them," the release reads. "Recent districtwide facility inspections underscored the significant attention needed to restore systems to their original reliability. The district continues to respond as quickly as resources allow to keep learning environments safe and operational."