Storm damage closes Kennedy Middle School for rest of year, 10 others closed Monday

Online Staff Report

Kennedy Middle School will be closed for the rest of the school year, after parts of its roof were ripped off during fierce winds Sunday, May 22.

It took only minutes for winds to tear parts of the roof over the Kennedy gym from their anchors, prompting police to evacuate the property. Debris was thrown more than 50 yards from the building during Sunday night’s storm.

Kennedy students will finish the 2010-11 school year at West Middle School, officials said.

Ten other District 205 schools remained closed Monday and are scheduled to reopen Tuesday.

Following is a list of schools closed Monday:

Auburn High School (Main Campus), Flinn Middle School, Johnson Elementary School, King Elementary School, Kishwaukee Elementary School, Lathrop Elementary School, Lewis Lemon Elementary School, New Milford Elementary School, Page Park School and Whitehead Elementary School.

More than 7,000 Rockford residents were still without power Monday morning. Spokesmen from ComEd and the City of Rockford are advising residents to stay away from fallen power lines and trees.

City officials said some traffic lights are also without power while others are flashing red signals. Each should be treated as a four-way stop.