PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Building 21 high school in West Oak Lane remains closed because of asbestos. On Monday, students and faculty started classes at their new temporary location, Strawberry Mansion High School — but fewer than 40 out of 370 students showed up.
Building 21 students had a two-hour delay to give them some extra time to adjust to a new routine of getting to Strawberry Mansion, which is about 6 miles away from their campus.
However, only about 10% of the student body decided to show up at all, according to the School District of Philadelphia. Twenty-two students were dropped off via a SEPTA shuttle bus provided by the district. The rest went on their own or were dropped off independently.
About one-third of students accessed coursework online, said school district spokeswoman Monique Braxton. “The hope is that tomorrow, more students will choose in-person learning here at Strawberry Mansion.”
Students who opted for remote learning have to provide a written note to administrators and have their course work completed for the absence to be marked as “excused.”
Braxton explained that Building 21 already used the five "virtual days" allowed by the state. Now, the district is waiting on approval from the Department of Education for a waiver to the rule.
“We have not been given permission to do any virtual instruction, at all. We're meeting the needs of the students,” Braxton said.
SEPTA buses will be at Building 21 on Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. to transport students to Strawberry Mansion High, then provide pick-up at the end of the school day. There is no bus plan beyond Tuesday, as officials say they’re still working with SEPTA and other bus services.
Some families have expressed safety concerns for students going into a neighborhood with some of the highest crime rates in the city. Other parents, like Janelle Talley, prefer the kids to attend class in person.
Talley drove her 11th-grade twins to school and found comfort in the district’s plan to make sure Building 21 students and staff would stay together. Officials say the students have their own bathrooms, cafeteria and space for learning.
“Strawberry Mansion will be Mansion and Building 21,” she said. “They have their private entrance, private exit. Everything should run smoothly. I expect it, too.”
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Other families, however, told district officials they had safety concerns with their children being in a different neighborhood that’s farther from home. To help accommodate, a group of community members, like Strawberry Mansion alum Keith Stone, greeted the students who did attend classes Monday.
“It’s a big difference, especially coming into this area,” he said. “If you’re now familiar with this area, you don’t know what to expect.”
Talley said having her kids in class, even if it’s in another building, is still the way to go.
“I particularly didn’t want virtual because one of the twins did well and the other didn’t. So it just wasn’t really an option. They’ll be here every day,” she said.
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Last week, inspectors found asbestos in Building 21. The district did not say how long remediation work would take. Some water and steam leaks are complicating things even more.
The district said it is looking into how to accommodate students who don’t show up and how to handle absences.