PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The School District of Philadelphia now says it was aware of asbestos problems at Building 21 high school for two years, but Superintendent Tony Watlington says no action was taken to fix it.
Last week, the school district said damaged asbestos was discovered during a routine inspection at the West Oak Lane high school on Feb. 28. But in a letter to parents of Building 21 students on Tuesday, Watlington said consultants and the district’s environmental services team found asbestos troubles at the school dating back two years.
“Our understanding is that, as they continue to investigate beyond the discovery of asbestos last Tuesday, they found records indicating asbestos damage has existed in the auditorium since June of 2021 — and possibly longer,” said district spokeswoman Monique Braxton.
It’s not clear why no action was taken to address the issue. Watlington attributed the lack of oversight to historic underfunding that led to faulty recordkeeping. “And that has led to the deterioration of our buildings and inadequate record-keeping processes,” he said.
Parents balked at Building 21 students’ classes being relocated to Strawberry Mansion High School this week. Only 41 students reported for class in person on Tuesday, and even fewer showed up on Monday.
Related
Watlington said the state’s Department of Education has approved the district’s request for virtual learning for Building 21 students. Braxton said plans for a switch to virtual learning should be finalized by the end of this week.
She said Watlington was arranging an in-person meeting with Building 21 parents, to explain the situation to them directly.