Philadelphia parents, teachers union express safety concerns after winter storm

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Parents are expressing their concerns over in-person learning on Friday with the School District of Philadelphia.

“We should have gone virtual for the next two days to make sure students were able to return safely, but that wasn’t the case,” explained Luisa Velasquez of South Philadelphia.

Some parents and the union representing the School District of Philadelphia teachers expressed concerns about conditions inside and outside school buildings.

“You have schools at 2:00 in the afternoon, and the heat was up to 50 degrees. You can’t tell me it’s better for anybody to learn in those conditions,” stressed Arthur Steinberg, the president Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.

Steinberg is urging the district to switch to virtual learning on Friday after what he said was a frustrating return to the classroom on Thursday.

“I didn’t think they should have been in school today. I figured we’ve been out all week. The roads aren’t fully clear. The pavement isn’t fully clear,” said Tashi Grant of West Philadelphia.

The district said in a statement that students learn better in person.

The teachers’ union agrees, but argues that the conditions are not conducive to learning.

In Mayfair, a school bus got stuck on the 3100 block of Sterling Street.

At Baldi Middle School, staff had to help students climb over snowbanks to get to their buses.

At Vare Washington in South Philadelphia, the union said classrooms, the cafeteria, and the gym couldn’t be used due to burst pipes, unstable heating and plumbing.

“There was situations where the kids were being taught in auditoriums, they had to be relocated again. You have a lot of traffic of remediation,” explained Velasquez.

The district said teams worked to remove snow and ice from school entrances and sidewalks, prioritizing high traffic areas as well as conducting building maintenance to support safe conditions.

“They could have cleared them better, could have prepared better, and I think they could have put safety first,” Grant said.

The teachers’ union and parents are still hoping the district changes their mind before Friday morning, which is also another scheduled half day.

The district released a statement that said they’ll continue to monitor building conditions throughout this bitter cold and make adjustments as needed.

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