Asbestos is closing two more Philly schools — one for the rest of the year

Asbestos is closing two more Philadelphia schools — one for the rest of the school year.

Plaster at Frankford High and Mitchell Elementary that had previously been cleared as “non-asbestos containing” actually does contain the toxin and is now damaged, according to letters sent to the two school communities Friday and obtained by The Inquirer.

Frankford will be closed Monday and will shift to virtual instruction for at least the remainder of the week. Mitchell, in Southwest Philadelphia, has more damage, and will not reopen this school year. Students will be off Monday, and virtual instruction will start Tuesday; the school will reopen for in-person instruction in an alternate, to-be-determined location later this month.

» READ MORE: What to know about the ongoing asbestos issues in Philly schools

Intact asbestos is not dangerous, but when it’s damaged, the material releases tiny, potentially toxic fibers into the air that can be ingested.

Frankford, on Oxford Avenue, enrolls over 900 students in a school built in 1914; the damaged asbestos was discovered on the third floor.

Mitchell, at 55th and Kingsessing, has 339 students, and was built in 1915; damage was found throughout the school.

Mitchell and Frankford have become the second and third Philadelphia School District schools where incomplete or inaccurate recordkeeping meant that asbestos-containing plaster was labeled for decades as safe. Building 21, a high school in West Oak Lane, was closed March 1 and its students are still learning virtually. District officials are exploring alternate sites, signaling that Building 21′s closure will be long-term.

Another school, Mastery Charter Simon Gratz High School, was closed for a week this year but has since reopened. That building, in North Philadelphia, is a neighborhood school whose building is owned by the district.

The Building 21 situation “prompted an urgent and comprehensive review of district sampling records in other buildings to determine if and where further plaster sampling is needed,” Frankford principal Michael Calderone wrote. “At Frankford High School, new sampling shows that certain plaster walls and ceilings do, in fact, contain asbestos.”

District officials recognize the asbestos revelation “may understandably raise questions and concerns. It is not clear why the historic records contradict recent sampling results,” Calderone wrote. “Since the walls and ceilings had been documented as not containing asbestos, they had not been included in past [federal asbestos] inspections. However, they will be going forward.”

When the Building 21 errors were revealed, Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. warned that more asbestos was likely to be identified at other schools.

Calderone reiterated that point to Frankford parents, stating that “this is not an indication of the program failing, but rather the program is working to protect health and safety through the identification and management of environmental concerns. This improved process — while revealing environmental hazards — is working as it should throughout the district.”

» READ MORE: What to know about the ongoing asbestos issues in Philly schools

It’s not yet clear how long Frankford will need to be closed. Calderone pledged to keep families updated.

Mitchell principal Stephanie Andrewlevich led the school through COVID-19 closures, and in her letter to families, said she understood what another shutdown will mean for the school community.

“I am deeply sorry for forthcoming challenges,” Andrewlevich wrote. “We are determined to make the remainder of the school year the best it can be for our students and families, who are most affected by this closing.”

Officials will work to find a new site for Mitchell’s relocation, with the aim of students starting there on April 17 or 24. Optional busing will be provided daily from Mitchell to the new site.

Work is expected to continue at Mitchell through the summer in preparation for a September reopening.

Hillary Linardopoulos, spokesperson for the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said the PFT appreciated the district’s communication on the emergencies at Mitchell and Frankford, and said that the closures underscored the need for both transparency and more investments in facilities systemwide.

But, Linardopoulous said, it was “deeply concerning and upsetting” that staff and students had been exposed to asbestos for an unknown period of time.

”It is outrageous that staff and students continue to be exposed to toxins in school buildings, and we cannot and will not stop fighting until every staff member and student has a healthy school in which to work and learn,” she said.

Watlington has said an investigation into errors in the Building 21 situation was underway by the school system’s Inspector General.

City Councilmember Isaiah Thomas, a Frankford alumnus, said in a statement he was “disappointed and outraged but unfortunately not surprised” by the Mitchell and Frankford closures, which he called “unacceptable.”

Thomas led a group of Council members who indicated they would consider withholding the district’s funding without a clear facilities and environmental plan.

“The School District of Philadelphia continues to agree with the need for a facilities plan but we have yet to see the plan or the sense of urgency,” Thomas said.