Asbestos concerns force Kensington High School students, staff to relocate to Northeast Philadelphia

Staff with the School District of Philadelphia returned Monday for the new school year, but for some, it wasn't where they planned. Asbestos concerns forced Kensington High School to close at least for the rest of the calendar year for students and staff.

It was only last week that Kensington High School students and staff learned they wouldn't be going back to their building.

The Philadelphia Teachers Federation says its members aren't thrilled about the situation and feel there was a major breakdown in communication with the district.

PFT said the district discovered asbestos while installing a new HVAC system last month, and the intent was to remediate it so staff could return to the building Monday.

The union didn't think that was realistic. Last week, they said that suspicions were confirmed when plans changed.

Now, more than 400 students and 90 staff members will report about 8 miles away at Austin Meehan Middle School, which is used as a swing space, in Northeast Philadelphia.

PFT said students will receive transportation to the temporary school building but not staff.

In a letter released last week, the district said the building in Kensington will reopen in January.

"It's very rare that they meet their initial deadline," Arthur Steinberg, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said. "So we're optimistic that they will do this properly and cause as little disruption as possible to the school community, but ask me again when we get closer to January. Normally in these circumstances, anything that's intact they try not to remove because it takes more time, costs more money. It's best practice to get it out of there while you're in the building now. So I think in light of the publicity that they received, they agreed to remove it all."

City Councilmember Mike Driscoll said, in part, in a statement, "We are extremely concerned by what appears to be a rushed decision by the school district, especially without first engaging the communities that will bear the greatest impact."

"The school district needs to work with the affected communities to find an alternative that works for the community—one that puts public safety first while addressing congestion and transportation challenges," Driscoll's statement continued.

The school district said this week, students and their families will receive a letter with updated information on the situation.

The district is hosting two family meetings this week, one in person and another virtually, to answer questions.