PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Finding an alternate space for Frankford High School students is proving to be a difficult task.
The school has been closed since damaged asbestos was discovered in the massive building in early April. Students have been learning virtually ever since, as the district hasn’t been able to find a suitable place for in-person learning.
The challenge is the size of Frankford High. There isn’t a big enough facility nearby to relocate the school’s 900 students.
“Given the sheer size of Frankford, we just don’t have shovel-ready swing space that we can move all the students to,” said School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington. “As much as we’ve hoped to get our students in Frankford High back in in-person learning sooner rather than later, unfortunately, we’re unable to do that.”
Frankford High is not only closed for the rest of this school year, but it will likely remain off limits for much if not all of next year because of asbestos damage.
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Watlington said sharing space at another high school in a different neighborhood is unlikely.
“We’ve learned from the Building 21 situation,” he said. From March to early May, students at the asbestos-damaged Building 21 high school in West Oak Lane temporarily relocated to Strawberry Mansion High 6 miles away.
“We want to do a much better job of sitting down and talking with school leadership, parents and community members there,” Watlington said.
The school is doing just that. Frankford High has formed a committee to help the district find a suitable alternate site.
In the meantime, Frankford seniors will get together in-person for graduation on June 12.
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