More asbestos was ‘misidentified’ at Building 21, Philly school officials tell parents and teachers

More asbestos has been identified throughout Building 21, Philadelphia School District officials told staff and parents Tuesday, saying that plaster in walls and above ceiling tile throughout the West Oak Lane high school had been “misidentified” since the early 1990s.

The news felt like a gut punch, said teacher Eric Hitchner — another mistake in a series of events that began unfolding March 1, when officials first told the Building 21 community that damaged asbestos had been “discovered” at the school, which has since been closed for in-person learning. They later said staff had actually flagged the problem at least two years ago, during a previous administration.

The district’s inspector general is now investigating the events around the Building 21 asbestos cleanup.

» READ MORE: Philly schools knew of damaged asbestos at Building 21 for at least two years before closure

Hitchner said he can’t stop thinking about his kids, ages 2 and 5. Undamaged, asbestos is not a problem, but once damaged, it emits tiny fibers that can be toxic.

“I wonder if I’m going to find a cancer diagnosis, see my grandkids,” said Hitchner, a 13-year district veteran.

With students and staff out of the building, district officials had been conducting an inspection of the school’s lead-based paint, Oz Hill, the district’s interim chief operations officer, said in a letter sent to the Building 21 community Tuesday. On the final day of that inspection, painters were about to begin stabilization work when they requested information about whether plaster above ceiling tile contained asbestos.

“Records from the early 1990s had labeled the wall and ceiling plaster throughout the building as ‘No Asbestos Detected,’” Hill wrote. “The district reviewed the historic data and found it was no longer consistent with current sampling protocol.”

More testing revealed that “the plaster used throughout Building 21 for walls and above ceiling tiles does, in fact, contain asbestos,” Hill said. “Further inspection has found areas of damage that require repairs.”

Hill described the new information as “unwelcome news” and said officials “know this news will be upsetting to those students and staff who are eager to return. We are working diligently to develop a detailed plan for repairs, cleaning and air quality testing.”

It’s unclear why the 1991 sampling contradicts current results, Hill said.

Philadelphia Federation of Teachers president Jerry Jordan said that while he feels the district is now being forthcoming, as long as the building was occupied, “unfortunately, children and staff were being put in jeopardy every day, and that is totally unacceptable, and should be dealt with.”

With a timetable for return to the building unclear, officials are moving to find a new, alternate location for Building 21 students and staff to resume in-person learning. After the district ordered students and staff to relocate to Strawberry Mansion High School, widespread pushback scotched that plan and the school reverted to virtual instruction.

Classes are currently all virtual, with students able to drop in at Mansion High School. Most days, fewer than 20 of the school’s 300 students attend in person.

Hill and Tomas Hanna, the assistant superintendent for secondary schools, told staff they were looking at a number of alternate locations closer to Building 21, on Limekiln Pike. The possible locations include Bishop McDevitt High School in Wyncote, Dare to Imagine Church on Anderson Street, and the Excelsior School on E. Haines Street. Martin Luther King High, another district building, was also raised as possibility, but it, too, has asbestos inside.

Hitchner said the tenor of Tuesday’s meeting was “very much, ‘We made some mistakes, we learned from them, we hear you,’” but that he and many others remain incredulous. “They didn’t have satisfactory answers, but they want us to trust them.”

Based on information shared with staff at the meeting, it seems unlikely that students and staff will be able to return to Building 21 this year.

Parent Melvinia Hall’s reaction to the news of more asbestos and a longer time out of the building?

“This is sad in all aspects,” Hall said.

Watlington has said that because of more robust protocols, more damaged asbestos could likely be discovered at other district schools in the near future.

At the same time, the district is suing the city over a new law designed to strengthen environmental conditions inside public schools. The law, passed last year, would create an oversight panel and give the city’s managing director say-so over whether school buildings are safe enough to open.

The school board says state law makes it clear only the board can determine whether schools open.

A group of Philadelphia parents and community organizations asked a judge to allow them to join the city’s move to have that lawsuit dismissed.

The parents and community groups say the district cannot be trusted to oversee remediation.