East St. Louis schools reopen a week after others as residents vent about still-icy roads
Parents and city residents in East St. Louis have been frustrated over the time it’s taken to clear streets of the snow and ice that fell more than a week ago.
East St. Louis District 189 students returned to in-person classes Friday for the first time since the initial round of winter weather dropped more than 7 inches of snow and sleet on Jan. 5 and 6.
A statement issued late Thursday by district officials said leaders are “excited to welcome students back after the district has exhausted its state-mandated limit of five e-learning days.
Students will be in school Friday for a half day, followed by parent-teacher conferences in the afternoon.
The district’s release expressed gratitude to local municipalities and St. Clair County crews for making roads to its schools passable and safe.
“Their efforts have made it possible for us to reopen our schools,” it said.
But other residents and business people in East St. Louis remain frustrated by delays and ongoing gridlock.
Most schools across St. Clair and Madison County were back in session by Friday of last week, with several smaller districts with fewer bus routes welcoming students back as early as Wednesday.
“Belleville got the same amount of snow as East St. Louis and all of their schools are open. Their buses and cars are running. I’ve gotten stuck three times,” said resident April Jenkins. “I have hit so many pot holes because you can’t see the pot holes over the snow. It’s not fair to the city, the teachers, the students.
“A lot of people are blaming the school district, but it’s not their fault. They’ve had to call off school because the streets are not safe.”
Jenkins, who operates a medical transportation company on State Street, said Thursday she has been unable to get her clients to and from their doctors and other appointments due to the conditions of the streets throughout the city.
“East St. Louis is full of it. They are not cleaning the streets,” she said. “... I understand school buses can’t get down the side streets. However, if they clean them off the buses could get down them.”
Jenkins said one of her clients who uses a wheelchair lost control and slid down an icy street.
“I had to run and catch her,” Jenkins said. “That’s not fair,” Jenkins said. “I have clients on Dr. Martin Luther King Drive, Gaty Avenue. I have clients on State Street, off of State Street, and all over. They can’t get off of their streets.”
City Manager Robert Betts said crews are doing the best they can with the equipment they have and will continue to work until the streets are cleared. St. Clair County and state resources have been called in to assist the effort, he said.
“The city’s public works crew is working everyday since the ice and snow storm happened. We will also continue to work until all streets are cleared,” said Betts. “We requested assistance from St. Clair county and the Illinois Department of Transportation. They have sent down 11 small trucks that can assist with the side streets.”
Betts said he did not know how many streets remained impassable, but he was “pretty sure” they would be ready in time for school Friday morning.
“The weather conditions have put a strain on city resources,” he said. “We have worked overtime. We thank St. Clair County for sending some assistance down to help us out.”
To the citizens Betts said, “Just know we are doing all we can to get the side streets passable so the citizens can move about the streets safely.”
Percy Harris said the city does not have the staff it once did, but that it needs to make public works and safety a greater priority.
“It looks like the politicians do not care about public works or the other departments. They only care about that building (city hall),” he said. “We don’t have enough police officers or firemen. Public works does not have enough staff. They won’t invest in those services like they should.”
Harris said Thursday that Piggott, Tudor, Trendley and Market streets all remain treacherous. The only one that was cleared was 19th Street and Bond Avenue.
“The county does that,” he said. “People are still expected to go to work and students can’t go to school. It has been such a mess out there.”
This story was originally published January 17, 2025 at 11:18 AM.
