Timeline: Asbestos Crisis in Philadelphia Schools
The Philadelphia School District has become the epicenter of the national issue of toxic asbestos in U.S. schools.
Since October 2019, eleven Philadelphia schools have partially or fully closed for remediation of damaged asbestos materials.
The Philadelphia School District will spend $14 million to address the ongoing asbestos crisis that made headlines last fall.
Superintendent Dr. William Hite Jr. said approximately 80% of Philadelphia schools were built prior to 1978 and are likely to contain asbestos.
The school district’s asbestos problems have potentially already caused serious health consequences.
Major Events in Philadelphia Schools Asbestos Crisis
The following timeline highlights the ongoing asbestos concerns in Philadelphia schools.
District Needs $125M in New Funding for Remediation
Superintendent Hite explained the school district would not approve major construction projects in the future without assessing for asbestos and other dangers.
“If we’re going to do a renovation or modernization, we’re going to go in and remove all of the environmental hazards,” Hite told The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Hite said the school district needs $125 million in new funding in the next five years to remediate lead and asbestos contamination.
Teachers Union Report Calls for $200M in New Funding
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers union released a report in May 2021 listing asbestos among five other pressing environmental hazards requiring immediate attention. Remediating these hazards will cost at least $200 million, according to the report.
This report claims the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the most recent asbestos inspections, and that prior inspections conducted in December 2019 must be completely redone because they were so poorly executed.
It also says asbestos abatement jobs conducted in Philadelphia schools from April 2020 to April 2021 found additional asbestos-containing materials not previously documented through inspections. In addition, the report said samples collected during abatement work found airborne asbestos outside supposedly contained work areas at several schools.
What Parents Can Do About Asbestos in Schools
Parents of students in Philadelphia schools can educate their children about the dangers of asbestos exposure and how to identify products that are likely to contain asbestos so they can avoid them.
Asbestos may be found in floor and ceiling tiles, and in insulation applied to pipes, boilers, walls and ceilings.
If a student suspects they’ve found damaged asbestos materials at school, they should tell their parents.
Parents should report the issue to the local school district and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.