Frankford High School’s main building, which has been shuttered for more than two years due to asbestos issues, has officially reopened following a nearly $30 million rehabilitation.
School leaders and officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and offered public tours Monday afternoon, a week before students return to the building for the start of the academic term.
“This may, in fact, be the best day of my career,” Frankford Principal Michael Calderone said.
The doors had been closed since April 2023, when School District of Philadelphia inspectors discovered damaged asbestos inside the 109-year-old facility, located at Oxford Avenue and Wakeling Street.
During the closure, students in grades 10 through 12 were taught in the sealed-off wing, which was built in 1970. Freshmen were housed more than 3 miles away, at Roberto Clemente Middle School.
“It was an extremely difficult time for our school community,” Calderone remarked.
Tony Watlington Sr., the district’s superintendent, celebrated that the renovation project was “on time and on budget.” The school system spent $29.9 million on the work, officials said.
Materials containing asbestos were removed or repaired throughout the building, and protective wall paneling has been installed to prevent plaster from being disturbed, according to the district.
School officials said crews brought in 83 new air conditioning units, refinished wood floors, installed LED lighting, replaced ceilings and window panes, repainted the building, added 31 Smartboards and outfitted radiators with valves for individualized control, among other improvements.
A dozen window-mounted A/C units were humming Monday in the newly-cooled third-floor gymnasium. Historic aspects of the building’s ornate front hall, including murals and stained-glass windows, remained.
Watlington framed the renovations as part of a broader revamp of the district’s handling of asbestos-related issues.
Damaged asbestos can become airborne and, if inhaled, has been shown to cause mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer, and asbestosis. The building material, previously in wide use, has been found in nearly 300 school district facilities.
Nationwide, school districts are required to perform comprehensive asbestos inspections every three years and check-ins every six months.
In June, following a five-year secret investigation, federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against Philadelphia public schools, alleging that the district’s asbestos management practices violated the law. Several specific schools, including Frankford, were cited as not being inspected in a timely manner, and officials said it was the first such case brought against a school system.
The Board of Education and the U.S. Attorney’s Office reached a deferred prosecution agreement, placing the district under court monitoring for a period of five years. The case could be dropped if city schools are found to be complying with the federal regulations.
“We’re pleased that we are current and on time with all of our required inspections because our team has rebuilt our asbestos management program,” Watlington told reporters Monday.
“In fact, if you go on our website, you can do a classroom-by-classroom analysis of where we stand with every inspection,” he added. “So this is really, really big news, not just for Frankford, but for the School District of Philadelphia.”
