THE FACTS
Back in 2017, a group of fourth graders from Lewis Cassidy Academics Plus Elementary School in Overbrook opened our eyes to the impact the funding inequities and toxic schools are having on their education.
Cassidy fourth-grader Chelsea Mungo recently wrote to me about the need to fund schools, asking “Why does the color of the students’ skin matter how much money we get for our school?” Cassidy students also visited me at the Capitol as part of the Young Heroes Outreach Program; in return, I visited their school to address their concern. The School District of Philadelphia has since identified Cassidy as a candidate for a new building, which is expected in the near future. But what do we do for children there now?
The video below was made by a group of students at Cassidy back in 2017. They showed the video at their school assembly to encourage their classmates and teachers to take action and make the school better. Help share the message about Cassidy! Every student deserves a quality education no matter where they live!
Philadelphia Inquirer Investigation
Philadelphia’s toxic schools
Last year, a Philadelphia Inquirer investigation revealed a shocking number of health hazards in Philadelphia public schools which included dangerously high levels of lead paint, asbestos, and mold. The investigation was a finalist in the 2019 Pulitzer Prizes and received several other prestigious awards. Journalists BARBARA LAKER and WENDY RUDERMAN join us to discuss their investigation and the updates have taken place since the story first broke along with DANIELLE FLOYD of the Philadelphia School District to share the district’s response. Learn more at www.whyy.org.
‘We are not crying wolf’: Philly teachers union to sue district over asbestos, other hazards
The union representing Philadelphia public school teachers says it will sue the school district over its handling of asbestos, lead and mold problems that has shuttered schools and sparked a backlash from parents. The complaint — filed Monday evening — will ask a...
Rally held demanding answers over asbestos in Philadelphia schools
PHILADELPHIA - The Fund our Facilities Coalition held a rally Wednesday to voice their frustrations regarding school closures in Philadelphia over asbestos. A hand-scrawled closed sign at Philadelphia’s Carnell Elementary tells the story of this school and five other...
Philadelphia wants money from Pennsylvania to deal with dangerous asbestos in schools
As Philadelphia continues to grapple with asbestos hazards in its schools, state and local elected officials joined with teachers and parents Wednesday morning to demand state money to make repairs. Standing outside Carnell Elementary in Oxford Circle, which has been...
Asbestos in Schools: Parents, lawmakers rally for Philly students’ safety
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Elected officials, educators, and parents called on Governor Tom Wolf Wednesday to prioritize facilities funding in this year's budget to address health and safety concerns in Philadelphia schools. "The money is there. We know where it is. It is...
Local Lawmakers, Parents Calling For State Funding To Upgrade Philadelphia Schools, Asbestos Removal
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Local leaders and parents of children who attend Philadelphia schools closed due to asbestos are taking their fight to the governor’s office. The group is calling for more state funding to protect the students. Rishawn Reynolds has found herself...
In PFT-sponsored rally, elected officials call District’s response to asbestos ‘negligent’ and demand changes
The teachers’ union and elected officials ratcheted up pressure on Philadelphia School District officials Wednesday with a rally in front of Carnell Elementary, one of the schools that has been closed due to fears of dangerous loose asbestos. Carnell is due to open...
City officials demand state funding for Philly schools plagued by asbestos
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Local officials are taking a stand against asbestos-infested schools in Philadelphia and bringing it directly to the attention of the governor. “This is not just a Philadelphia problem. This is a statewide problem that needs both...
Lead in school drinking water could be worse than we know
A recent test showed extremely high levels of lead at Frederick Douglass Elementary School in North Philadelphia, but officials didn’t tell parents until reporters with WHYY’s Keystone Crossroads and PlanPhilly started asking. It turns out the school probably isn’t alone, but Avi Wolfman-Arent and Ryan Briggs explain why it’s hard to say just how many other older school buildings in the region could have similar serious problems with their water. Learn more at www.whyy.org.
Fix Philly schools: Meek Mill and friends offer vague ‘millions’; PA officials offer action plan
When Meek Mill had an idea to enlist his rich friends and lend a hand to the Philadelphia School District, he posted it on Twitter. The Philly rapper’s tweet was met with much fanfare, and several genuine bids for collaboration from local personalities already working...
Asbestos in Philly schools demands action from district — plus the city and state | Editorial
In an attempt to be reassuring, School Superintendent William Hite has said more than once that asbestos, found in the majority of city schools, isn’t dangerous unless it’s damaged. He would do well to remember that his relationships with parents hold the same fate:...
Under pressure, Philly School District touts new environmental safety plan
Philadelphia School Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. on Tuesday announced a new environmental safety plan, pledging quicker response to asbestos concerns in school buildings and better communication with affected communities. The news came as pressure mounted on the...
Missed asbestos, dangerous dust: How Philadelphia’s Ben Franklin H.S. project went wrong
A few weeks into the school year, Benjamin Franklin High and Science Leadership Academy parents received an urgent note: Damaged asbestos had been discovered inside ducts in the boiler room and first-floor SLA commons. The Philadelphia School District shut the...
How race, class, and privilege shape the asbestos crisis at two Philly high schools
During her junior year, Mecca Taylor coped with near-constant construction noise in her high school, tools lying in the hallways, and dust everywhere. Her allergies acted up in a way they never had, and her friend’s asthma was awful. “You could see your footprints...
Displaced by asbestos and construction, Philly’s Ben Franklin High moves north, SLA stays near Center City
Philadelphia school superintendent William R. Hite Jr. announced Thursday that students from the two schools displaced by construction problems and the discharge of asbestos will resume classes in new locations Monday. Benjamin Franklin High School will use the former...
With their asbestos-tainted Philadelphia school building closed indefinitely, where will 1,000 students learn?
Classes will not resume Thursday for 1,000 Benjamin Franklin High School and Science Leadership Academy students displaced by construction woes and damaged asbestos found inside their North Broad Street building, superintendent William R. Hite Jr. announced Monday....
What Philadelphia school parents need to know about asbestos at Ben Franklin/SLA
In August, doctors diagnosed a beloved Philadelphia teacher with mesothelioma, a deadly cancer caused by asbestos. She was exposed to asbestos during her nearly 30-year career at two elementary schools in South Philadelphia. Then, late last month, school district...
Asbestos shuts down Ben Franklin/SLA school building
Damaged asbestos discovered within the shared campus of Benjamin Franklin High School and Science Leadership Academy will shut down the building for at least two days, officials said Monday night. In an email to staff and families, Danielle Floyd, the Philadelphia...
Teachers’ union investigating a possible cancer link to Philly schools, warns of hazards
A longtime city educator has mesothelioma — a type of cancer most often caused by asbestos exposure — and Philadelphia Federation of Teachers officials said Wednesday they are investigating a potential cancer cluster linked to widespread asbestos problems in schools...
Lead poisoning is a crisis Philadelphia can actually fix | Editorial
Of all the crises the city is battling — poverty and opioids, to name just two — one has been getting welcome attention the last few years: the environmental toxins in aging buildings from lead paint and other hazards that are damaging babies and small children. These...
Lawmakers to propose bill that they say could bring $85 million to Philly schools
Driven by health, safety, and facility repairs urgently needed for Philadelphia district schools, labor leaders, and state and local lawmakers on Wednesday announced proposed legislation that would provide about $125 million to repair and improve schools locally and...
To repair toxic school buildings, end the ten-year tax abatement | Opinion
As dozens of new candidates for City Council secure their places on the ballot for Philly’s May 21st election, one question facing them all is how they will ensure the safety of millions of children who spend their days in toxic school buildings. As teachers of these...
Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to eliminate lead from Philadelphia schools faces opposition
Gov. Tom Wolf traveled to Taggart Elementary School in South Philadelphia to tout his proposed four-year, $4.5 billion Restore Pennsylvania initiative to fix crumbling schools, eliminate blight, repair storm damage, and expand high-speed internet across the state....
Despite recent cleanups, Philadelphia schools still expose kids and teachers to asbestos
After the successful cleanup of more than half a dozen schools, and with 38 more planned, the School District of Philadelphia is getting accolades for its aggressive, revamped efforts to protect students from lead paint. Now, city lawmakers and advocates for healthy...
Philadelphia school kids will get added protections from lead paint perils
A year after a first grader was severely poisoned from peeling lead paint in his classroom, City Council on Thursday unanimously passed historic legislation aimed at ensuring such an injury never happens again. Under the legislation, which Mayor Kenney is expected to...
Can Philadelphia school officials be trusted with millions in state money to clean up lead paint?
With $7.6 million in new state funds, the School District of Philadelphia this week picked four contractors to jump-start an ambitious plan to clean up toxic lead paint in 40 schools. It's the first time that state money has been specifically earmarked to reduce lead...
Wolf pledges millions to tackle lead paint in city schools
Gov. Wolf on Friday said he was directing state funds to begin a $15.7 million emergency cleanup at some of Philadelphia's most rundown schools. Of that, $7.6 million will come from state coffers and go toward repairing deteriorating lead paint at up to 40 schools, a...
School District cleans Olney Elementary after 10.7 million asbestos fibers found
Outrage over the number "10.7 million" got the School District of Philadelphia to finally act. Lawmakers and the head of the teachers' union demanded that the district immediately clean up millions of asbestos fibers from surfaces inside Olney Elementary School.
Action, not just talk, needed to save Philly kids from toxic schools | Opinion
As another school year draws to a close, it is important for all of us to reflect on our successes and challenges of the year, and to work diligently to ensure that come August, our students are prepared for success. Setting our students up for success is something we...
Philly congressmen seek federal help to fix ‘unconscionable’ condition of city schools
WASHINGTON — Philadelphia's three congressmen on Friday urged House leaders to devote federal money to repairing the city's schools, which are suffering from mold, deteriorated asbestos, and peeling lead paint. The letter from Democrats Bob Brady, Brendan Boyle and...
There is money to fix our schools. Here is where to find it | Opinion
On Tuesday, residents voted to return Philadelphia schools to local control. In the final chapter of a 16-year drama, over 80 percent of Philadelphians voted to entrust Mayor Kenney and City Council to take bold leadership and change the fate of our city's public...
Toxic City: Cleaning up Philly’s contaminated schools has a huge price tag | Editorial
One common — and infuriating — claim made by critics of public education is that we continue to throw money down a rat hole, with little to show for it but failing students. That's infuriating because it's not true, and it shows an ignorance about the increasing share...
Fix unsafe conditions inside Philly schools, new group says
Banding together to address what they say are "unacceptable" conditions inside many Philadelphia schools, a broad coalition of parents, environmental advocates, City Council members, and labor unions on Wednesday announced it had formed to partner with and pressure...