Archdiocese cites 'safety issues' in closing Bronzeville elementary school

An elementary school in Bronzeville will not be opened for the the 2015-2016 school year after “serious building safety issues” were discovered over the summer.

Students of St. Elizabeth School, at 4052 S. Wabash, will instead be welcomed to attend Holy Angels School, located about a mile east at 40th and Cottage Grove, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Officials did not specify what prompted the sudden closing, only saying that the issues were discovered during school-improvement efforts.

“We place the safety of our students first and once the situation became clear, we immediately sought another way to help St. Elizabeth students continue their education in the Catholic tradition,” Mary Kearney, Interim Superintendent of the Office of Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Chicago, said in a statement.

The Archdiocese will give Holy Angels School extra financial support to accommodate students who come from St. Elizabeth, the statement said.

Families of St. Elizabeth students who go to Holy Angels will be given a tuition discount, and daily bus service will be provided from St. Elizabeth to Holy Angels, the statement said.