蜜桃影视

When first-grader Dean Pagan started having trouble with simple math problems and began earning 鈥渞ed鈥� instead of 鈥済reen鈥� on his teacher鈥檚 behavior chart, his parents started to worry. The chart indicated he hadn鈥檛 been following directions. His parents took him to a psychiatrist and a therapist, and he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. But after his teacher spotted him putting a paint chip in his mouth during class, they had him tested for lead poisoning.

The results were devastating 鈥� the lead level in Dean鈥檚 blood was nine times as high as that known to cause permanent brain damage.

Dean鈥檚 own classroom had poisoned him.

He had been that fell onto his desk because he wanted to keep his workspace neat and because he wasn鈥檛 allowed to get out of his seat without permission during class.

In Dean鈥檚 school in Philadelphia 鈥� and in schools around the country 鈥� toxins like lead, asbestos, and mold are common. When buildings are left to age without good cleaning and prompt repairs, such toxins can be released into the spaces where children play, learn, and eat.

Any school built before the 1970s has 鈥渓egacy toxics鈥� like mold, asbestos, and lead, said Mary Filardo, executive director of the 21st Century School Fund, which advocates for school infrastructure improvements and modernization. But, she added, good cleaning and prompt repairs can keep kids safe. Asbestos isn鈥檛 a problem until floors, walls, and other parts of buildings are allowed to deteriorate, releasing poisonous asbestos fibers into the air. One way that can happen is if schools have problems with their heating and cooling systems, making the air too humid.

Without modernization and maintenance, the classrooms are 鈥渁 much more hazardous place to be,鈥� she told 蜜桃影视.

The average school building in the United States is more than , according to 2012-13 data, the most recent available, and experts say the federal government should be doing more to help states keep up with maintenance and repairs.

U.S. schools earned on the American Society of Civil Engineers鈥� most recent 鈥淚nfrastructure Report Card,鈥� which noted that 鈥渢he nation continues to underinvest in school facilities, leaving an estimated $38 billion annual gap鈥� between actual spending and need.

Dean鈥檚 story came to light after a series of investigations by two Philadelphia newspapers revealed students were being exposed to dangerous levels of lead, asbestos, and other toxins. The investigations conducted by The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News, with the help of school staff, found a pattern of neglect and ignored warnings on the part of the city鈥檚 schools.

Their investigations also revealed that lead paint was not the only infrastructure problem in schools, which according to a district spokesperson average more than 70 years old. Students at one elementary school, , reported chilly classrooms without heat, burst pipes spilling water onto their backpacks, mice and rats in the bathrooms, and a cockroach crawling out of a milk carton, according to the Inquirer. After a maintenance crew was called to fix peeling paint and mold at , students were exposed to asbestos fibers from broken floor tiles and dust containing lead from disintegrating paint. At both schools, test results showed alarming levels of , which can cause a range of health problems.

Lee Whack, the district鈥檚 spokesman, disputed some of the Inquirer鈥檚 findings, noting 鈥渇aulty鈥� methodology and the fact that staff members, not trained scientists, collected asbestos samples from the classrooms.

鈥淲e know that our students and staff deserve better school buildings,鈥� Whack told 蜜桃影视. 鈥淲e understand that there are issues in our buildings, and we are actively working to address them.鈥�

A system in crisis

In response to the investigations, the three congressmen who represent Philadelphia 聽the House in May to allocate money to help the city repair its schools. The representatives 鈥� Democrats Bob Brady, Brendan Boyle, and Dwight Evans 鈥� asked House leaders to consider including money for Philadelphia schools in any infrastructure plan that comes before Congress.

But can districts like Philadelphia move forward without federal help?

The district assessed the condition of its school buildings last year and reported that the buildings need roughly . But the news comes at a time of deeper fiscal woes for the district. Philadelphia鈥檚 City Council recently that is projected to allocate an extra $617 million to schools over the next five years to help stabilize the system鈥檚 finances and stave off debt.

David Masur, executive director of PennEnvironment and an organizer of the , is focused on driving change locally. Currently, he and other members are to pass legislation that would codify for schools best practices for lead paint removal and stabilization. He鈥檚 also focused on increasing accountability and transparency in the district鈥檚 communications with families and other stakeholders.

Masur said people are 鈥渓ined up to help鈥� the school system deal with the problems it鈥檚 facing, but some of the offers have been ignored by district leadership.

Whack, the district鈥檚 communications director, said the district is engaged in some partnerships already, including with the initiative, and is open to working with anyone who wants to help. Additionally, the district has recently adopted new cleaning standards for school buildings and is planning to do this summer.

Filardo, the advocate for school facilities, said the federal government needs to allocate money to states to repair and rebuild schools. Repairing and modernizing the schools will also require a new level of cooperation in the city, bringing together the business community, the school district, and civic leaders, she said. That the city鈥檚 schools are still being used a century after they were built is a 鈥渢ribute to their quality.鈥�

鈥淲here they are in Philly is not unfamiliar,鈥� Filardo said. But to fix the problems, 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to take a level of cooperation and planning that they have not seen yet in Philadelphia.鈥�

In an opinion for the Inquirer, Philadelphia schools superintendent William Hite said much the same thing: 鈥淲e are facing a challenge that could seem too big to solve. It isn鈥檛. But it will require an all-hands-on-deck effort from every neighborhood in this city.鈥�

PennEnvironment鈥檚 Masur says there are more aggressive steps the school district can take right away 鈥� without community input or increased funding 鈥� such as communicating better with parents and using proven best practices to clean up lead, mold, and asbestos. The school district 鈥渆xploits鈥� the idea that it cannot do anything until it gets more funding because that is easy for people to understand, he said. His message, that the district can act now, is more difficult to explain.

鈥淚t鈥檚 harder to go, Look, what we鈥檙e saying here is a little nuanced: They do need more money, but there鈥檚 shit they could do today. Without money.鈥�

Asbestos and other toxins remain in schools

These issues are not new. A 1983 New York Times lamented that the 鈥渉uge cost of removing asbestos daunts schools.鈥� More than 30 years later, the work of removing asbestos from some schools remains undone.

Nearly 70 percent of school districts reported schools with asbestos in a 2015 conducted through the offices of Sens. Edward J. Markey and Barbara Boxer, with 20 states responding. The senators鈥� report also notes that 鈥淪tates do not appear to be systematically monitoring, investigating or addressing asbestos hazards in schools,鈥� despite a 1986 requiring them to do so.

A Politico/Harvard conducted in February revealed that a majority of Americans from both parties think improving school buildings is an 鈥渆xtremely or very important priority.鈥� Filardo said she expects to see Congress tackle school infrastructure next year because voters are becoming aware of these issues and advocating for their schools. Earlier this year, advocates urged President Donald Trump to allocate funding for schools in an infrastructure package, but a tentative plan released by the White House did not mention schools.

鈥淲e actually think that in the 2019 Congress 鈥� [Lawmakers] will listen to voters on what鈥檚 important back in local communities,鈥� she said.

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