Simon Gratz Mastery Charter to remain closed Monday for asbestos, while its middle school is cleared for re-opening

Simon Gratz High School Mastery Charter will be closed at least through Monday as Philadelphia School District inspectors continue to address asbestos in the building.

Gratz Prep Middle School, which operates in the same building owned by the district, has been cleared to reopen Monday.

The schools had been closed since Wednesday after damaged asbestos was discovered during a routine, federally mandated inspection.

“All findings, which were minor in nature, have been resolved. We look forward to welcoming your students back to school on Monday!” Mastery Charter CEO Scott Gordon wrote in an email to parents.

The neighborhood school on West Hunting Park Avenue in Nicetown, run by the district until 2011 when it turned the program over to Mastery, educates 1,100.

Gordon said inspections on the high school part of the building will continue through the weekend.

“We are hopeful that the school will be cleared to reopen very soon,” Gordon said. “We will provide a status update on Gratz High School’s reopening on Sunday, March 12, at 6 p.m.”

Gratz so far does not need to add days to the end of the school year to compensate for the unexpected time off. Mastery had a bank of snow days built into its calendar that it has not used; those will make up for the closures through Monday.

Another update on Mastery Gratz is expected Monday, officials said.

“Once again, our priority is the health and safety of our students, teachers, staff, and their families. We are committed to a safe and prompt return for our students and will continue to keep you updated along the way,” Gordon wrote.

Gratz is the second school this month to close because of damaged asbestos.

Building 21, in West Oak Lane, shifted to virtual education indefinitely because of asbestos found in its Limekiln Pike building.

District officials knew the high school’s building had problems for at least two years, but did nothing until its recent inspection. Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. expressed outrage at the revelation, and vowed to take action. Parents have expressed frustration at the way the district has handled the closure.

“While this happened prior to my tenure, I am absolutely committed to continuing to improve the process and transparently communicating with our Building 21 community,” Watlington wrote in a letter to parents. “I will investigate how this information was not immediately available and I will require accountability. In addition, I will align my budget recommendations to address the long-standing challenges.”