Philadelphia School District hires environmental specialist to oversee asbestos issues
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- More schools in the Philadelphia School District are being checked for damaged asbestos. That could mean more school closures.
The district has hired a new person to assess environmental conditions and oversee asbestos issues.
Victoria Flemming spoke publicly for the first time on Tuesday since being hired as the School District of Philadelphia's Interim Executive Director of the Office of Environmental Management.
"The process is underway," Flemming said. "In the coming weeks and months, we do anticipate we will identify damaged asbestos."
Flemming says the district has a $24 million contract with an outside company to do asbestos inspections.
She also revealed the federal government requires the district to do 50 asbestos inspections every month, but because of a shortage of staffing and resources, the district hasn't been able to reach that benchmark.
"The school district is very focused and working on improving this process," Flemming said.
Parents fear the lack of timely inspections means some schools that may have damaged asbestos could be going undetected for longer periods of time.
The @PHLschools has hired Victoria Flemming to oversee asbestos management. She says federal law requires that the district do 50 asbestos inspections every month, but due to the shortage of staffing and other resources, the district is not meeting that benchmark. pic.twitter.com/LFMhP0kwTi
— Madeleine Wright (@MWrightReports) May 23, 2023
And they worry their children could be breathing in the hazardous substance without even knowing it.
"The long-term exposure is pretty scary stuff," Molly Rose Post, a parent of a C.W. Henry School 1st grader, said.
Post is the mother of a student at C.W. Henry, one of six Philadelphia schools shut down in the last three months due to damaged asbestos.
Henry and two other schools, Building 21 and Simon Gratz Mastery Charter, have since reopened.
But three other schools are still closed.
"Mitchell, Frankford and Universal Vare remain the schools that are not open," Flemming said.
A district spokesperson says there's one school that will be closed due to damaged asbestos longer than anyone anticipated, but she can't say which school because parents haven't been notified yet.
"A total nightmare for both children and families," Post said.
Officials say there are 16 buildings in the district that need to be inspected by August, meaning more school closures are possible.