Kensington High School students to relocate amid asbestos concerns

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Less than two weeks before classes begin for the School District of Philadelphia, students and staff at Kensington High School must relocate after asbestos concerns forced the building to close.

District officials said the issue surfaced as crews installed a new HVAC unit.

In a letter sent Thursday to parents and staff, leaders explained that an asbestos inspector found concerns during demolition of the old system.

Arthur Steinberg, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, said the discovery will disrupt the start of the school year.

"There are enough obstacles to overcome during the school year now, and you always want to get off to a smooth start, and now that's not going to happen," he said.

Steinberg said he was relieved the problem was identified, but wished there was better communication throughout the last-minute process.

"I'm glad they discovered it before people occupied the building, but it's something that should have never occurred," he said.

Remediation crews were at the school Thursday cleaning and removing items.

While cleanup and air quality testing continue, the district said more than 400 students and 90 staff members will temporarily relocate to the vacant Austin Meehan Middle School in Northeast Philadelphia.

Steinberg called the move an inconvenience.

"They're going to have to do some work to get the building ready. They have to get materials over for them to use. It's going to create difficulties with logistics, travel."

The district said closer schools did not meet space or accessibility needs.

The letter stated, "We know this delay is an unexpected disruption, and we are committed to working with school leaders and families to make this transition as smooth as possible."

Kensington High School is expected to reopen in January.

Steinberg said the situation warrants scrutiny.

"The city controller is now going to do a performance review, an audit of the district. I think this is the perfect circumstance for them to take a look at and see where the procedures failed and what they can do to improve it moving forward," he said.

In June 2025, federal prosecutors announced criminal charges against the school district, alleging violations of legal requirements to timely inspect, remediate and report damaged asbestos in schools.

The district entered a deferred prosecution agreement requiring compliance for about five years, with the possibility of charges being dropped.

Steinberg said the union has its own industrial hygienist monitoring the situation.

School leaders said staff members will be at the new building Monday to begin the transition, and schedules, transportation details and other logistics will be available soon.