PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Simon Gratz Mastery Charter closed Wednesday after an asbestos inspection at the North Philadelphia school building, which is owned by the district.
A statement posted to the school’s website said Gratz high and middle schools will remain closed for the duration of the asbestos inspection.
“The School District of Philadelphia is currently onsite performing their standard three-year reinspection for asbestos. They notified us this evening that they recommend we close for the duration of their inspection,” the statement reads. “We will send out additional information at 4 p.m. on Wednesday including how long we expect the inspection to last and what if any findings we can share.”
There is no word yet on when the school building would open again.
This comes as Building 21 high school in West Oak Lane — another district-owned school building — was closed due to asbestos damage. The district said asbestos was discovered during a routine inspection on Feb. 28, but in a letter to parents, Superintendent William Hite said consultants and the district’s environmental services team found asbestos troubles at the school dating back two years.
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Watlington said it was not unclear why no action was taken at the time.
A district spokesperson could not comment further on the matter at Gratz, even though the School District of Philadelphia owns the building.
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