Southwark School in Philadelphia temporarily closing due to asbestos concerns
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A letter obtained by CBS News Philadelphia says Southwark School announced it will need to temporarily shut down the building.
Kate Jenkins says she spent Friday morning frazzled.
She and many other parents helped carry boxes of books and crates of supplies out of Southwark School in South Philly before the building temporarily closed.
"It's really hard. It really leaves parents scrambling and just adds a lot of extra stress," Jenkins said.
"It's heartbreaking, it's scary our kids go to this school they deserve better," Christa Estrada said.
Parents were given an hour to get their child's belongings out of the building after the principal sent this letter home on Thursday.
The principal wrote in the letter that dust and debris found in the floor of the attic could contain asbestos.
RELATED: Asbestos in Philadelphia schools: What we know
The principal says the building, located in the city's East Passyunk neighborhood, needs to close to allow for repairs. Those repairs could take several weeks.
Remediation is expected to take several weeks and students will move to virtual learning beginning Monday.
"I expect that I will probably have a couple classmates over at my house and that's what we did early in the pandemic as well," Jenkins said.
The school is working on a plan for in-person learning and will announce that by the end of the day Friday.
Several Philadelphia schools closed due to asbestos last year. Students were moved to other buildings or learned virtually while crews remediated the buildings.
Asbestos is a construction material found in older buildings. When it gets damaged and flakes get into the air, those particles can cause lung damage if inhaled.
The average age of Philadelphia school buildings is over 70 years old and some, including Frankford High School, are over a century old.
The school closed last year after damaged asbestos was found. For this school year, Frankford freshmen were moved to Roberto Clemente Middle School and Frankford's "Old Wing" was cordoned off. Grades 10-12 are holding class in the Frankford High School annex.
Now as parents at Southwark wait for more information and scramble to arrange childcare they're also working together during this disruption.
"We're going to have to figure it out, the parents come together and we help each other. We help each other's kids and do the best we can," Estrada said.
The district says virtual learning will likely take place for a few days.
Families are also being updated on plans to use a Swing Space for in-person learning.
