Nearby Elementary School Closes 'Cause Someone Built it on a Mine

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replying the story in its archived form does not constitute a re-publiccation of the story.

Almost 700 elementary school students are off school today, and it certainly isn't because of the weak-sauce snow we got last weekend. Nope, these kids from Benld Elementary School in Benld, Illinois are home from school today because their school started to fall apart.

Yesterday afternoon, officials discovered cracks all over the school's floors and walls, and it's being attributed to a huge depression from an underground caved-in coal mine. Since a "substantial part" of the mine was located directly below the $7.5 million-dollar school, it's not looking great for the school's future. The district is working to find other schools to send the students to.