PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia teachers union is questioning whether a contractor error or lax oversight led to the asbestos damage that is forcing the closure of Kensington High School.
"This is a repeat of the playbook we've had at other schools,” said teachers union president Art Steinberg.
As Steinberg understands it, the school district learned in mid-July that an HVAC contractor at Kensington High School damaged asbestos, but the district only last week finalized a plan to relocate students and staff.
Steinberg said the district, though, did agree to remove all of the asbestos in the century-old building, not just the materials damaged by the contractor.
"Normally in these circumstances, anything that's intact they try not to remove because it takes more time, more money."
He said having Kensington's students and staff start the year seven miles away at the former Meehan Middle School in Mayfair is disruptive, and more notice would have helped teachers plan.
In a letter to the school community, Kensington Principal Jose LeBron announced a series of open houses and meetings this week to help families plan.
Meeting dates:
- In-person on Tuesday, Aug. 18, from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. at Kensington CAPA
- A Zoom meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 19, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- An open house at Austin Meehan Middle School on Friday, Aug. 21, at 1 p.m.
- An open house at Austin Meehan Middle School on Saturday, Aug. 22, at 10 a.m.
