PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Two community groups and three parents have filed documents in court to join the city in the court battle over who gets to say Philadelphia school buildings are safe to open.
The suit, filed by the School District of Philadelphia in January, challenges a city law that gives an oversight board and the managing director the authority to determine whether school buildings are safe to open.
Nonprofits Penn Environment and Lift Every Voice Philly claim that, given a rash of asbestos and environmental concerns in school buildings, parents can't depend on the district itself to properly remediate environmental issues.
Philadelphia Board of Education President Reginald Streater wouldn't speak to the merits of the case, but he sought to reassure parents, saying that both he and the board’s vice president have children in the system.
"I can tell you straight up that we take this very seriously. It keeps us up late at night. And the district and the board are working together collaboratively to come up with an actual plan to come up with some solutions," Streater said.
Streater says he's confident that settlement talks will lead to a result that's in the best interests of the children of the district.
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