Kankakee County elementary school cancels Thursday classes after catalytic converter thefts render bus fleet unusable

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. (WGN) — Some students in Kankakee County got a day off of school on Thursday after their district’s entire fleet of buses was left unusable after it was hit by catalytic converter thieves.

Just before 7 a.m. Thursday, officials at Bourbonnais Elementary School District #53 notified families that they would be canceling Thursday classes after an issue at its transportation center left the entire fleet of buses inoperable.

District officials later clarified that the buses were left unusable due to a criminal act, which they described as “deliberate mechanical sabotage.”

“This deliberate mechanical sabotage has deeply impacted our ability to safely transport students, and we are treating this situation with the utmost seriousness,” Superintendent Dr. Adam Ehrman said in a Facebook post.

Bourbonnais police later confirmed that the bus fleet suffered a string of catalytic converter thefts.

It was briefly up in the air whether the district would hold classes on Friday, but officials said in an update shared around 2 p.m. that they had secured transportation solutions and classes would resume as scheduled.

“Thank you for your continued patience, understanding, and support over the past day. We are incredibly grateful that the coordination of our efforts — in collaboration with neighboring districts, service providers, and suppliers — has allowed us to minimize the disruption to our students’ learning,” Ehrman said.

While accommodations have been made to get students to class on Friday, the district said the arrangement could impact some bus routes.

While normal bus stops, as well as regular pick-up and drop-off times, will be utilized, the district said students and parents may notice that many buses have different numbers than usual and may even display a different district name on the side.

“Rest assured that our regular BESD #53 bus drivers will be driving each route, ensuring a familiar and safe experience for our students,” Ehrman said.

As for the district’s fleet, Ehrman said they are currently working with their bus servicing companies to repair the damage and with their parts supplier to expedite the delivery of critical components.