PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The city and the school district have settled a lawsuit that challenged a law giving the city the power to determine when school buildings were environmentally safe to open.
Amid headlines over Philly schools being closed for asbestos, city council last year approved a law requiring schools to pass city inspections for asbestos, lead paint and water quality before they could open.
In January, the district sued the city in federal court, claiming that opening schools was the sole authority of the school district. Now, the two sides have reached a settlement.
Under the agreement, the district promises to inspect schools for asbestos twice a year. The district will also get $2.5 million from the Philadelphia Health Department to help improve its environmental record keeping and will meet with them quarterly.
School Board President Reginald Streater announced the settlement at a city council hearing Wednesday on establishing a school building authority.
"Not a lap around the field to say we did it, but I think that this can be the foundation for even more village-oriented work that can be done as we continue to fund this public education renaissance,” he said.
Under the settlement, the district will do asbestos inspections of schools every six months, posting reports online as quickly as possible.
By next June, those reports will need to be available within two months of the inspection.
Related
