Frankford High School, shut out of its building because of asbestos, rallies: ‘You can’t shut us out’

Frankford High’s nickname is “Home of Champions,” and it has a structure to match: a four-story Gothic Revival building whose exterior resembles a castle more than it does a schoolhouse.

But Frankford’s future is uncertain. Damaged asbestos closed the school in April, forcing students to learn virtually. Then, officials announced last week that damage is so extensive that the building will be closed at least through the 2023-24 school year — and now, knocking the school down and rebuilding anew is a possibility, according to people briefed on the situation.

Staff, parents, politicians and students rallied outside the school Wednesday, demanding more robust information from the Philadelphia School District, sharing grief over their current predicament, and expressing fears about their school’s future.

Frankford is one of six district buildings closed by asbestos this year. It, Mitchell Elementary and Universal Vare Charter School are all closed for the rest of the semester; only Mitchell has been relocated.

A drumline played, the crowd cheered, and students and staff in Frankford T-shirts waved signs that said: “School Starts in 97 Days. Where?”

School and district officials, who initially said they were looking for an alternate location for students to attend for the rest of this school year, were ultimately unable to find one — securing a spot for more than 1,000 students and staff is a tall order. They now vow to find a new site for the fall, preferably one for the whole school.

School nurse Kelly Harvey is frustrated by how the Frankford community has been treated, and fearful for her health, and her students’.

How, Harvey said, “did we somehow become expendable? It’s a sin and a shame that this type of disparity continues.”

If asbestos had closed a school in a wealthier part of the city, things would have gone down differently, Harvey and other speakers said.

“If the kids looked like me, we would have already had a school,” said Frankford teacher Melissa Dunn, who is white. The majority of Frankford students are Latino and Black and come from economically disadvantaged families.

Ananziah Crocker, a Frankford junior, told the crowd of dozens that the closure has been “devastating for us. This is not how any of us wanted to end our school year.”

Staff and students are trying to hold out hope for next year, but feel distrustful of the district, said Crocker, 17.

Frankford has long been a special place, Crocker said — where students have opportunities to act in shows, play sports, participate in clubs and career and technical programs like aviation, hospitality and solar installation. It’s a growing, cohesive school where teachers plant roots.

Decked out in his blue, red and gold Frankford scarf, State Rep. Joe Hohenstein (D., Philadelphia), a 1985 graduate of the school, said he wants answers, too.

“It’s Frankford against the world,” Hohenstein said.

Among the questions Frankford staff and students sought answers to: Will we ever be able to go back to our building?

The school system has run a cost-benefit analysis on tearing the entire school down and constructing a new school, or keeping the existing building but gutting and rebuilding the inside, according to multiple people who attended a district meeting for the Frankford community Tuesday. Building new is slightly more expensive, and would keep students and staff displaced longer.

No decisions have been made about which option to pursue, those who attended the meeting said.

Staff and parents have asked for the exact location of the damaged asbestos, but said officials have thus far declined to specify.

Marybeth Reinhold, a Frankford English teacher, said she was “outraged” at conditions inside the building, especially because historical federal asbestos reports did not accurately disclose asbestos-containing materials, as is required by law.

“We were lulled into a false sense of security,” said Reinhold. She said, thus far, the district has given “no answers, just platitudes.”

Although much remains up in the air, after eight weeks of being separated — the majority of Frankford students are learning remotely, but some students with special-needs plans are being bused to Olney High School — it just felt good to be together, those who attended the rally said.

The school building is meaningful to the Frankford community, said Jaden Colon-Torres, a sophomore. But the school is more than the structure.

“You can’t kick us down, and you can’t shut us out,” said Colon-Torres.

School district spokesperson Monique Braxton said the goal is to find Frankford a temporary home “by the beginning of next year.”

“We understand this has been a difficult time for students, staff and school families, and we thank them for patience and understanding while the district continues to complete work to address environmental and maintenance issues at multiple schools,” Braxton said in a statement.