PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — "We do not feel safe in the building."
Those words from math teacher Ethan Tannen simply described why a few dozen teachers at one of Philadelphia's top magnet high schools, Masterman, worked outdoors on Thursday, despite the 102-degree heat index.
They say they are concerned about asbestos in their building, and they vow to stay outside until they see documents assuring them their building is safe.
The district’s chief of schools, Evelyn Nunez, stood outside the building Thursday morning, telling teachers it was safe to work inside. The teachers were not buying it.
Tannen said they want environmental records for the building, as they prepare for the return of students on Tuesday.
"A lack of transparency from the district — a lack of information at all, regarding asbestos present in the building," Tannen said.
"We’re not going back in until we see those. Because we care about our safety and we care about our students’ safety."
Jerry Roseman, the environmental specialist for the teachers union, proposed joint inspections with the school district.
“We want to look particularly above ceiling tiles and to determine whether or not there is concealed materials that are dangerous and debris above the ceilings," said Roseman.
Superintendent William Hite, at a back-to-school event at Citizens Bank Park, said removal has been ongoing, and evaluated by a third party.
"Abatement and repairs were made in January, July and August of this year, which addressed the 60 areas of damaged asbestos," Hite said.
"Based on the most recent inspection and repairs conducted, no known damaged asbestos remains in the school. These reports have been provided to the HSA as requested, with the exception of he most recent report that is currently being finalized by the third-party asbestos consultant."
Would teachers be disciplined?
“They will be receiving communication about the consequences of not being inside of the building today," said district spokeswoman Monica Lewis. She also said there was a precedent for joint inspections after last year's return to hybrid learning.
“I think that we continue to engage in conversations," she added. "If that is brought up in the conversations, then we will see when that can be done.”
Teachers union president Jerry Jordan, in a statement, said while this action was not organized by the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, it is "unconscionable" that the union’s requests for environmental reports have gone unanswered for so long.
The School District of Philadelphia offered this statement in full Thursday. You can read it below.
The District understands that members of the Masterman Home and School Association (HSA) and Masterman teachers have shared their concerns with a wide range of individuals and the media, in addition to the School District. The District welcomes staff and parent input and is grateful for the involvement of all District staff and parents. The District’s focus is on achieving and maintaining regulatory compliance. The District seeks to meet this goal while incorporating equity considerations and increased transparency throughout its schools.
The concerns outlined in the signed document from the Masterman teachers appear to be based upon incomplete information or a misunderstanding of applicable regulatory requirements surrounding management of asbestos. It is important to provide the following context. Abatement and repairs were made in January, July, and August of 2021 which addressed the 60 areas of damaged asbestos. All of this work was conducted under the supervision of a third-party certified Asbestos Project Inspector. Based on the most recent inspection and repairs conducted, no known damaged asbestos remains in the school. These reports have been provided to the HSA as requested, with the exception of the most recent report that is currently being finalized by the third-party asbestos consultant.
In addition, the District has been in close communication with Masterman HSA representatives and a PFT representative. The District has provided thousands of pages of documents surrounding ongoing capital projects, as well as previous and ongoing work to address asbestos concerns.
Specifically, on June 11, 2021, the District responded to a Right-to-Know Law request, providing thousands of pages of documents. Separately, our Chief Operating Officer Reggie McNeil provided a written response to additional concerns the HSA directed to him. The response to that RTK request, as well as the written response, is attached to this statement.
On July 14, 2021, Dr. Hite, Mr. McNeil, Chief of Staff Alicia Prince, Director of Environmental Management Stephen Link, and General Counsel Lynn Rauch met with the HSA and a PFT representative via Zoom. This was the third meeting the District had with Masterman HSA members during the preceding year. The District and the Masterman HSA have exchanged various communications regarding similar requests currently being made by Masterman teachers. To facilitate transparency and trust, the District has aimed to provide additional information and records to the HSA, beyond that which is required by applicable asbestos management requirements. The District also provided an extensive written response to multiple questions posed by the Masterman HSA that were not able to be addressed in the July 14th meeting.
The District has also been working with Acting Principal Marjorie Neff to re-establish communication procedures between the Masterman community and the District, and has been briefing her on the recent developments and response to questions posed by Masterman teachers after the Masterman HSA made a presentation to them which was not inclusive of District personnel.
While we appreciate the concerns expressed, it would be inappropriate for the District to single out one school community for a heightened level of attention beyond regulatory requirements, which the HSA acknowledged during the meeting on July 14.
The District will share updates as necessary.