Two Philadelphia schools close after discovering asbestos
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Two Philadelphia schools will be closed on reports of asbestos found.
Two buildings, Mitchell Elementary School in Southwest Philadelphia and Frankford High School are both closed after the discovery of asbestos.
According to a post on Frankford High School's Facebook page, the building will be closed next week, from April 10-14 for inspection and remediation due to "unforeseen concerns on the third floor of the building." The post continues to say there will be no school on Monday, April 10 but there will be virtual learning from April 11-14.
Officials are not sure how long students and staff may have been exposed.
In a letter/email sent to families of Mitchell Elementary School, officials announced the school closing for the remainder of the 2022-2023 school year after a new round of sampling discovered plaster on the elementary school walls and ceiling tiles containing asbestos.
On the Mightly Mitchell Heroes Facebook group, there's a Mitchell School Closing Updates page with more information.
Similar to Frankford High School, Mitchell Elementary will be closed on Monday, April 10 to prepare for virtual learning on Tuesday, April 11. Virtual learning will be from April 11-14 as well with an expected update of an alternative school store early next week.
The principal at Mitchell Elementary says their building will remain closed for the rest of the school year.
The School District of Philadelphia released a statement Friday night:
"In the wake of recent inspections that revealed incomplete or inaccurate records about plaster containing asbestos in two District-owned and managed buildings, Building 21 and Simon Gratz Mastery Charter, the District has reaffirmed our commitment to transparency and accountability regarding the facts about our buildings and what we are doing to improve environmental conditions at facilities across the District.
The District's oldest buildings are typically those with the most plaster, and they have been prioritized in this plaster review. The review is ongoing. Mitchell Elementary School and Frankford High School are among two of the oldest buildings in the district and for decades has had records labeling most of its plaster "no asbestos detected" based on tests in the 1990s. During recent work at Building 21, which had similar historic data, further sampling was conducted to determine whether plaster there contained asbestos. Further sampling showed that certain plaster walls and ceilings do, in fact, contain asbestos.
This result prompted an urgent and comprehensive review of District sampling records in other buildings to determine if and where further plaster sampling is needed. At Mitchell Elementary School and Frankford High School, new sampling conducted by inspectors shows that certain plaster walls and ceilings do, in fact, contain asbestos. As a result, there will be no school for students at Frankford High School on Monday, April 10. Additionally, students will engage in virtual instruction on Tuesday, April 11 and Wednesday, April 12. Mitchell Elementary School will shift to virtual instruction or swing space learning for the duration of the school year.
The District recognizes this new information may understandably raise questions and concerns. It is not clear why the historic records contradict recent sampling results. Since the walls and ceilings had been documented as not containing asbestos, they had not been included in past AHERA inspections. However, they will be included in all instructions going forward.
As the District has previously shared, in the coming weeks and months, we continue to anticipate that more damaged asbestos will be identified. This is not an indication of the program failing, but rather the program is working to protect health and safety through the identification and management of environmental concerns. This improved inspection process - while revealing environmental hazards - is working as it should throughout the District."
District leaders are meeting throughout the weekend to finalize plans and will be updating school communities affected.
Last week, officials found more asbestos in Building 21 in West Oak Lane so it's not clear when students and staff will return.
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers released a statement with the discovery of more asbestos found in schools.
"The discovery of additional damaged asbestos, and the fact that staff and students were exposed for an unknown period of time, is deeply concerning and upsetting.
We appreciate the District's increased commitment to transparency and recognition of how imperative it is to be forthcoming in these situations.
For years, we've called for critically needed investments in school facilities—and for more transparency in the processes of inspection and remediation. The closures of the Mitchell and Frankford buildings are emblematic of the need for both.
It is outrageous that staff and students continue to be exposed to toxins in school buildings, and we cannot and will not stop fighting until every staff member and student has a healthy school in which to work and learn."