Parents frustrated as C.W. Henry School students forced to learn virtually due to asbestos

By MADELEINE WRIGHT

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    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — Teachers are re-arranging their lesson plans now that the C.W. Henry School is shifting to virtual learning.

The building is shut down for the next two weeks after damaged asbestos was discovered in the West Mt. Airy school. It’s the fourth district school to be shut down.

The School District of Philadelphia is hoping the school will be ready to reopen in two weeks, but if not, they might relocate the students to another building.

Parents say this process puts a burden on them and it’s stressful for their kids.

As their children played at Fairmount Park on Monday, parents gathered with school officials to address their concerns about the damaged asbestos discovered during an inspection at the C.W. Henry School.

“I was terrified for the children and their health. You know, it’s horrible. I just want to know more about how long the asbestos has been there?” Mya Bramwell, a parent, said.

While contractors remediate the asbestos, the school is shifting to virtual instruction for all 503 students, starting Tuesday and lasting through May 5.

“I have a fifth grader at the school and when I let her know the reasons why she couldn’t return, she just broke out into tears and doesn’t like virtual,” Ta’Mora Jackson said.

Parents are now scrambling to find someone who can stay at home with the kids to help their children learn on Zoom.

“It’s incredibly disappointing that the decision of the school district is to pass the burden of their negligence onto families,” Alison Wear said.

Frustrated parents are also confused about why records from the 1990s showed there was no asbestos at the school, when Friday’s inspection showed there is damaged asbestos above the ceiling tiles, which can be circulated in the air through vents.

“The previous inspections done decades ago did not go above the ceiling tiles. Now, they’re leaving no stone unturned,” Monique Braxton, a spokesperson for the School District of Philadelphia, said.

Braxton says all 295 schools in the district are inspected for asbestos every three years.

Some schools are inspected every six months.

Madeleine Wright: “So, there is a chance more schools could be shut down?”

Braxton: “Dr. [Tony] Watlington has said that from the very beginning. Because the inspection process is more rigorous and more comprehensive, yes!”

The school district says it needs about $8 billion to address aging facilities over the next seven years.

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