The Plainfield SD 202 Board of Education voted Dec. 17 to approve a new high‑school boundary map intended to reduce persistent overcrowding at Plainfield North High School, a decision that elicited extensive public comment from Southpointe residents who said routing and walkability make Plainfield East an unsafe alternative for their students.

Consultant Rob Schwartz of RSP told the board the recommendation followed three years of enrollment and capacity studies and was designed as a phased strategy to avoid double moves for elementary and middle‑school students. "There's too many kids at Plainfield North. And so we need to make some adjustments," Schwartz said during the presentation outlining projections that show district high‑school enrollment rising from about 8,100 students today to roughly 8,400 by 2030–31.

Why it matters: the consultant and district administration said the map keeps every building under functional capacity for the five‑year forecast and addresses several “islands” of imbalance across the district. RSP estimated roughly 300 students districtwide would be affected by the high‑school boundary changes; Southpointe itself accounts for about 30–35 students in the proposal.

During the public‑comment period, multiple Southpointe residents urged the board to remove their neighborhood from the plan. "It's unnecessary to move Southpointe's 35 students out of Plainfield North," said Denise Pester, a Plainfield North parent, arguing the proposal amounts to an "overcorrection" that displaces current students to accommodate development‑driven growth years from now. Ashley, a Southpointe resident, said the walk to Plainfield North is safe with sidewalks and traffic controls but the route to Plainfield East would force pedestrians to share a narrow bridge over the DuPage River with vehicles and encounter quarry truck traffic: "The safety risks to students walking that route are potentially disastrous," she said.

Other commenters described social‑emotional harms from moving teenagers, warned that future rezonings could result in repeated disruptions, and questioned whether the district had sufficiently weighed transportation and infrastructure limitations. Tom Boyk, who identified himself as a teacher and parent, urged the board to "allow those students, mainly the sophomore and the freshmen at Plainfield North to finish their time at Plainfield North," citing the trauma of school changes.

District and consultant responses: Schwartz and district staff said their analysis incorporated city development timelines and recent approvals that pushed some North‑area projections upward; they also described grandfathering for 10th‑ and 11th‑grade students and an individualized SUA process for other requests. On the bridge and bus‑routing question, Schwartz said there are weight‑limit and improvement conversations with the city but "we don't have anything that can say definitively there's a particular year" for structural fixes and deferred a liability answer to district transportation staff. Administration pledged to seek written confirmation on whether buses can safely and legally traverse the 100/119th bridge and to communicate transition supports if the plan is implemented.

Votes at a glance: the board took procedural steps to consider tabling while data on the bridge and routes were confirmed, but following board discussion the motion to approve the boundary proposal was put to a roll‑call vote and passed. Several board members recorded 'no' votes during the roll call; the motion nevertheless carried. Administration said it will obtain written confirmation on the north‑side transportation routing before implementation and will share details about grandfathering and transition plans.

Other business: the meeting also included routine committee reports, approval of the tax‑levy adoption and related levy resolution, and multiple consent‑agenda items and capital‑plan recommendations. The district disclosed cash reserves during the earlier tax‑levy hearing: education fund $83,625,462.90; operations and maintenance $16,265,117.14; transportation $31,199,398.10; debt service $34,739,073.22; and a total cash/investment balance of $230,372,509.10.

What comes next: district administrators said they will continue to monitor enrollment and development, publish details of the grandfathering process for eligible 10th‑ and 11th‑grade students, provide counseling and transition supports, and return to the board with written transportation confirmations. The board scheduled follow‑up information and indicated community updates will be communicated as they become available.