Philadelphia’s Board of Education did not vote Thursday on an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice over the school district’s handling of asbestos, after abruptly adding the item to its agenda and rescheduling a meeting to accommodate it.
News of a federal investigation into the district emerged Wednesday, when the BOE’s meeting materials were updated to reflect a deal related to an ongoing probe into the school system’s “asbestos management practices.” The probe had not previously been made public.
“We were informed just before this meeting that the Department of Justice is not ready to proceed today,” Board President Reginald Streater said at the start of Thursday’s session. “An additional review may be required. We moved this meeting to address this time-sensitive matter.”
“We do not currently have more information to share and cannot comment further,” he continued, as a handful of education activists heckled board members inside the body’s meeting room, located within the district’s North Broad Street headquarters.
The BOE gathered at noon, four hours before they normally open business sessions. Streater acknowledged the inconvenience of the last-minute change.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the justice department’s regional entity, declined to comment on the situation. Details about the investigation and proposed agreement were not available Thursday.
Federal law requires school systems to thoroughly inspect facilities for asbestos, a material present in many buildings that can cause cancer and other serious ailments if disturbed and inhaled.
School District of Philadelphia officials have said the statute requires comprehensive inspections every three years, with check-ins every six months. Inspection reports for particular schools are posted on the district’s website.
Nearly all of the district’s 300 buildings contain asbestos, and the fiber has most frequently been found in floor tiles, ceiling tiles, pipe wrap insulation, plaster and paint. Damaged asbestos has forced school buildings to be shut down in recent years – sometimes for substantial periods.
The city’s public schools have long contended with asbestos, lead and other environmental issues stemming from its aging buildings. A 2017 report estimated that the district had $4.5 billion worth of deferred maintenance at the time.
District leaders are in the midst of crafting a long-awaited facilities plan, which could recommend the construction of new schools, permanent school closures and reimagined uses for buildings.
