PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The School District of Philadelphia will avoid federal prosecution for mismanaging asbestos in its school buildings under a deal unanimously approved Thursday by the Board of Education.
Five years ago, the U.S. Department of Justice subpoenaed the district, signaling it was launching a criminal investigation into lapses in federally required asbestos inspections of school buildings between 2015 and 2023.
Now, the DOJ is offering to shelve the investigation under what’s called a deferred prosecution agreement, provided the district continues to conduct timely inspections. Those school inspections are required every three years, or every six months in buildings known to have asbestos.
“We acknowledge past gaps in our asbestos management program and we are committed to sustaining the improvements and investments we have made in recent years to bring the program into compliance,” said Superintendent Tony Watlington.
Over the last several years, more than half a dozen school buildings have had to temporarily close due to asbestos contamination.
The district said among the improvements is a listing of all asbestos inspection reports for each of its 300 buildings on its website.
“Every school has a room-by-room log that details where asbestos is located and its condition at the most recent inspection,” said Victoria Flemming, who heads the district’s Office of Environmental Management and Services.
The district has also hired the firm Tetra Tech to help in asbestos management. School Board President Reginald Streater noted that district environmental spending has gone up from $10 million in 2021 to $56 million currently.
“We are proud that we have approved increased budgets over the past five years for asbestos management,” Streater told reporters.
The district must report its progress to federal court. Under the agreement, if the district’s asbestos management practices are compliant for five years, the DOJ will dismiss the matter.