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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.

Article Sources

  1. Hagen, N. (2021, May 12). Damaged asbestos, peeling lead paint, and mold still in some Philadelphia schools, says teachers union. Retrieved from https://philadelphia.chalkbeat.org/2021/5/12/22433094/damaged-asbestos-peeling-lead-paint-and-mold-still-in-some-schools-according-to-teachers-union
  2. Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. (2021, May). School District of Philadelphia Facilities Crisis. Scope and Solutions: An Updated Report. Retrieved from https://www.pft.org/sites/default/files/article_pdf_files/2021-05/pftfacilitiesreportmay2021final.pdf
  3. WPVI-TV. (2020, February 20). Another Philadelphia school dealing with asbestos issues as other students relocated. Retrieved from https://6abc.com/5950810/
  4. NBC News. (2020, February 20). Full transcript: Ninth Democratic debate in Las Vegas. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/full-transcript-ninth-democratic-debate-las-vegas-n1139546
  5. Winberg, M. (2020, February 20). Philly school asbestos problem: What’s closed, what’s open and what’s being done. Retrieved from https://billypenn.com/2020/02/19/philly-school-asbestos-problem-whats-closed-whats-open-and-whats-being-done/
  6. Graham, K.A. (2020, February 17). Students will get back inside Ben Franklin High, SLA after a long delay, $50M in renovations. Retrieved from https://www.inquirer.com/education/ben-franklin-sla-construction-delay-asbestos-building-reopen-20200217.html
  7. Ralph, P. (2020, February 17). Source: James J. Sullivan Elementary to remain closed for the remainder of the week due to asbestos cleanup. Retrieved from https://www.phillyvoice.com/james-j-sullivan-elementary-school-philadelphia-asbestos/
  8. The School District of Philadelphia. (2020, February 12). Clara Barton, James Sullivan Schools to Close Thursday, Friday. Retrieved from https://www.philasd.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/REL-Barton-Sullivan-Closed-021220-1.pdf
  9. Graham, K.A. (2020, February 7). Hopkinson Elementary closed indefinitely for asbestos, lead paint cleanup. Retrieved from https://www.inquirer.com/education/hopkinson-elementary-asbestos-closed-philly-school-indefinitely-20200207.html
  10. Busch, K. (2020, February 4). Widespread asbestos in Phila. public schools prompts health concerns. Retrieved from https://www.thedp.com/article/2020/02/asbestos-philly-public-school-toxic-penn
  11. Graham, K.A. and Ruderman, W. (2020, February 2). Asbestos forces closure of another Philly school. Retrieved from https://www.inquirer.com/news/asbestos-philadelphia-school-hopkinson-20200203.html
  12. Graham, K.A. (2020, January 30). Philadelphia School District will spend at least $14 million to address asbestos crisis. Retrieved from https://www.inquirer.com/news/school-board-asbestos-principals-union-contracts-20200131.html
  13. Ruderman, W. (2020, January 20). Philadelphia teachers’ union takes legal action against School District over asbestos. Retrieved from https://www.inquirer.com/news/asbestos-philadelphia-schools-teachers-union-mcclure-elementary-20200120.html
  14. WPVI-TV. (2020, January 17). McClure Elementary School in Hunting Park closed again due to asbestos. Retrieved from https://6abc.com/education/mcclure-elementary-school-closed-again-due-to-asbestos-/5857845/
  15. WPVI-TV. (2020, January 16). Hopkinson Elementary School to stay open after asbestos discovery. Retrieved from https://6abc.com/health/another-philadelphia-school-is-dealing-with-asbestos/5856433/
  16. Hangley, B. (2020, January 10). McClure will reopen in stages, starting Wednesday; parents concerned. Retrieved from https://thenotebook.org/articles/2020/01/10/mcclure-will-re-open-in-stages-starting-wednesday-parents-concerned/
  17. Graham, K.A. (2020, January 2). North Philadelphia elementary school to remain closed due to asbestos concerns. Retrieved from https://www.inquirer.com/news/asbestos-environmental-hazard-franklin-learning-center-mcclure-20200103.html
  18. The School District of Philadelphia. (2019, December 17). School closing. Retrieved from https://flc.philasd.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/337/2019/12/SchoolClosing.pdf
  19. Ruderman, W. and Graham, K.A. (2019, November 21). Cancer in the classroom. Retrieved from https://www.inquirer.com/education/a/mesothelioma-philadelphia-school-district-lea-dirusso-cancer-20191121.html
  20. CBS3. (2019, November 19). Philadelphia School District Announces Asbestos Plan Same Day Pratt Early Childhood Center To Be Closed To Deal With Issue. Retrieved from https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2019/11/19/pratt-early-childhood-center-latest-philadelphia-school-impacted-by-asbestos/
  21. Ruderman, W. and Graham, K.A. (2019, October 18). Missed asbestos, dangerous dust: How Philadelphia’s Ben Franklin H.S. project went wrong. Retrieved from https://www.inquirer.com/education/asbestos-school-construction-philadelphia-ben-franklin-sla-20191018.html
  22. CBS3. (2019, October 4). 2 Philadelphia Schools To Remain Closed Indefinitely Due To Asbestos Concerns. Retrieved from https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2019/10/04/philadelphia-schools-benjamin-franklin-high-science-leadership-academy-closed-indefinitely-asbestos-concerns/
  23. Graham, K.A. and Ruderman, W. (2019, October 4). Asbestos-tainted Philly school building to be closed indefinitely; district seeks alternate sites for 1,000 students. Retrieved from https://www.inquirer.com/news/asbestos-ben-franklin-sla-building-school-closed-20191004.html
  24. Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. (2019, September 18). PFT Releases Action Plan for Asbestos in Schools. Retrieved from https://www.pft.org/press/pft-releases-action-plan-asbestos-schools#:~:text=PHILADELPHIA%E2%80%94The%20Philadelphia%20Federation%20of,areas%20in%20Philly's%20public%20schools.
  25. Graham, K.A., Ruderman, W. and Laker, B. (2019, September 11). Teachers’ union investigating a possible cancer link to Philly schools, warns of hazards. Retrieved from https://www.inquirer.com/education/asbestos-cancer-school-philadelphia-meredith-nebinger-teachers-20190911.html
  26. Mezzacappa, D. and Hangley, B. (2019, September 11). PFT, officials demand $100 million to clean up city schools after teacher’s cancer diagnosis. Retrieved from https://thenotebook.org/articles/2019/09/11/pft-officials-demand-100-million-to-clean-up-city-schools-after-teachers-cancer-diagnosis/
  27. Laker, B., Ruderman, W. and Purcell, D. (2018, May 3). Danger: Learn At Your Own Risk. Retrieved from https://www.inquirer.com/news/inq/lead-paint-poison-children-asbestos-mold-schools-philadelphia-toxic-city-20180503.html