Clara Barton Elementary School To Reopen Monday After Asbestos Cleanup, School District Says
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Clara Barton Elementary School in Feltonville will reopen on Monday after school district officials say asbestos has been cleaned up at the school. The School District of Philadelphia closed the school on Feb. 13 after the asbestos was found in the attic and boiler room in the school building.
According to the school district, quality testing by two independent firms says the build is safe again.
Students and staff were sent to Martin Luther King High School while the asbestos was removed. The school was closed for a little more than one week.
Officials say students and staff should report to the school at their normal time on Monday.
Clara Barton Elementary School is the second school that will reopen on Monday after asbestos cleanup.
James Sullivan Elementary School in the city's Wissinoming section is also scheduled to reopen at its normal time Monday.
The school district has wrestled with what has become a crisis of asbestos at a handful of city schools for several months.
Last Sunday, Superintendent William Hite told CBS3 that a lack of financial resources was chiefly behind the asbestos crisis in the city.
"We have a lot of old school buildings here in the City of Philadelphia. In fact, any school that was built prior to 1978 is likely to contain asbestos, containing materials and lead paint and that is 80% of our schools," Hite said. "When you think about that and then you actually add to that years, or decades I should say, of not doing deferred maintenance and not having the resources or revenue to address capital issues, then you have these things that begin to happen."
