PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Asbestos was on full display outside City Hall on Friday.
Activists among parents groups donned hazmat suits as they stood next to easels depicting mold, asbestos and lead paint. The temporary art exhibition aims to illustrate the dangerous conditions inside some of Philadelphia’s aging public school buildings.
Shakeda Gaines, head of the Philadelphia Home and School Council, said parents need to know about these hazardous conditions.
“We have no idea what’s happening inside our schools, and then we get all of these reports. It seems like every other week there’s a new mold report, a new asbestos report,” Gaines said.
“This art show is to inform parents what’s really happening inside of their schools, so they can go in and join the movement to get more power back.”
State Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D-184) said addressing the environmental issues in schools should be a priority so that schools can remain open.
“We know that we need to keep buildings as safe as possible, and we need to keep them physically open for working parents across Philadelphia to be able to go to work, and for students’ emotional and educational well-being,” Fielder said. “We want to make sure that this is front and center, that it’s at the top of the priority list.”
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State Sen. Vincent Hughes said Pennsylvania has $7 billion in unspent federal stimulus money that could be used to address conditions in schools.
“The real crime is that there are in fact state resources that can be utilized to be helpful through the American Rescue Plan funds,” he added.
Groups like Parents United for Public Education and the Our City, Our Schools coalition are calling on the School District of Philadelphia to develop a building repair plan that includes community input.