We Rang the Bell…Now Ring the Alarm

It’s impossible to know if asbestos in her school’s building is behind a veteran teacher’s mesothelioma diagnosis. We do know that around 160 school buildings in the Philadelphia district contain asbestos. We know that as long the asbestos, a once common insulation material, is intact, it is not considered dangerous.

We also know that the teacher stricken with mesothelioma, a type of cancer whose only known cause is asbestos, worked at South Philly’s Meredith Elementary School for 17 years and before that taught at Nebinger Elementary; Nebinger had all of its asbestos removed this summer as part of a district abatement program but Meredith did not.   

But that the teacher could have developed the deadly cancer in Philly classrooms full of students should alarm us all.  

That’s why PCCY urged City Council in May to direct half of the District’s $160M fund balance for “urgent one-time facility upgrades that we know are needed to keep our children safe and promote learning.”

 “We cannot have students in classrooms coated with cracking lead paint, moisture-soaked floors and ceilings oozing with mold or crumbling asbestos-laden insulation,” PCCY Executive Director Donna Cooper told Council.  “While we have some funds in our bank account, the district must accelerate the removal of environmental hazards in every school.”

Sadly, even if all of the fund balance had gone towards these badly needed improvements, it wouldn’t have mattered to the stricken teacher. But it would have eliminated the need for this week’s press conference where the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers called for $100M in immediate funding to rid schools of lead and asbestos.

It would have also gone a long way to build upon the good faith of parents who sent their kids back to school last week, trusting that when the District was saying “Ring The Bell!” it meant the schools were ready for them.

In response to the PFT’s demand for action, Councilperson Derek Green unveiled legislation that would offer the District $10M in a one-time grant, which the Inquirer correctly points out would pay for “just a fraction of the environmental work needed to be done.” But Green is on the right track.

The District, the City of Philadelphia, and, of course, our state legislators must move quickly to respond to this crisis and use the money held in their respective reserves to prevent further exposure to environmental hazards like asbestos and lead. The Commonwealth, for instance, is currently sitting on nearly $1 billion in its reserves.

We’re told that as long as asbestos is intact that it’s safe. That’s as comforting to teachers and parents as was the single hair that held the sword over Damocles’ head.

The time for ringing the school bell is over. It’s time to ring the alarm.