Philadelphia's schools accused of failing to properly inspect asbestos in buildings
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Federal prosecutors on Thursday charged Philadelphia's public schools with failing to properly inspect eight schools for damaged asbestos. The district agreed to have the criminal case deferred while it pays for a court supervised monitor to keep tabs on its response.
Prosecutors said it was the first time a school district in the U.S. has faced such environmental criminal allegations.
The district is charged with eight counts of violating the federal Toxic Substances Control Act for allegedly failing to perform inspections in a timely manner during a recent five-year period.
Authorities said a judge must approve the terms of the deferred prosecution agreement, which avoids a grand jury indictment. If the school district complies with the relevant federal law, the government can eventually drop the charges.
About 300 of the school district's aging set of 339 buildings contain asbestos, the U.S. attorney's office said in a release.
Asbestos, a construction material in wide use until the 1980s, has been linked to cancer and lung disease.
Investigators said some asbestos was improperly addressed and that schools have had to close as a result of asbestos problems. Prosecutors said the 'longstanding and widespread problem' put students and teachers in danger.
The deferred prosecution agreement says the school system has already improved policies, procedures and compliance regarding asbestos inspections and abatement.
Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. told The Philadelphia Inquirer the deferred prosecution agreement is a sign of the district's progress in addressing the problem. He noted the district will train workers on asbestos management as part of the deal.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
9 minutes ago
- The Hill
19 killed in a road collision in Egypt's Nile Delta region
CAIRO (AP) — A truck and a microbus collided on a road in Egypt on Friday, killing 19 people, officials said. The microbus was carrying workers on a regional road in the city of Ashmoun, in the Nile Delta governorate of Menoufia, as they were heading to their jobs, according to a statement by the Labor Ministry. Three people survived the crash. The victims, including the injured, were transferred to General Ashmoun hospital, according to local media reports. Labor Minister Mohamed Gebran ordered authorities to take the necessary measures to disburse compensation to victims' families, sending up to 200,000 Egyptian pounds (about $4,000) to the families of those deceased and 20,000 Egyptian pounds ($400) to each injured person. Menoufia's governor, Ibrahim Abu Leimon. said that the cause of the crash would be urgently investigated, and he called on the transportation ministry to reassess safety measures on the regional road, according to local media outlet Al-Masry Al-Youm. Deadly traffic collisions claim thousands of lives every year in Egypt, which has a poor transportation safety record. Speeding, bad roads and poor enforcement of traffic laws are the main reasons behind most of the crashes.
New York Post
15 minutes ago
- New York Post
Deacon reveals moments split-second decision to run over Michigan church gunman with pickup truck
A Michigan deacon who ran over a heavily armed gunman outside a suburban church said he felt an unshakeable divine calling to act before the shooter could enter and attack congregants. Richard Pryor, a deacon at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, was the first person to confront 31-year-old Brian Anthony Browning when he arrived at the church Sunday morning with multiple weapons, tactical gear, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. 'As soon as he got out of the vehicle, I saw the fatigues, I saw the gun on his hip, and he pulled his gun out of the vehicle,' Pryor told 7 News Detroit. Advertisement 3 Richard Pryor, a deacon at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, was the first person to confront 31-year-old gunman Brian Anthony Browning. WXYZ-TV The deacon, who was driving around the property, had a chilling conversation with Browning after noticing him wandering around. 'I pulled up and I asked him, 'Hey boss, are you okay? Everything alright?' and he doesn't say anything, he doesn't respond. It's not a smile, not a smirk, he just kind of looks at me,' he recalled. Moments later, Pryor floored the gas and struck Browning with his truck — temporarily stopping him. Advertisement He said he felt a divine call to act, replying when asked if he sensed innocent worshippers might die if he didn't: 'I knew, but I didn't know.' Browning still managed to fire several rounds, including one at Pryor's truck, before members of the church security team returned fire and wounded him before he could enter the church. Cops arrived and attempted to perform life-saving measures on Browning, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. 3 Pryor said he felt a divine call to floor the gas and strike Browning, who was armed with an AR-15-style rifle, with his truck. AP Advertisement ''I've realized how much damage he came to do, especially after the fact,' Pryor said. 'Generations of families were in this church.' Security guard Jay Trombley, who returned fire, also described feeling a divine calling to wound the shooter. 'I found out that evil came to our door, but God's hand of protection was right over us,' he told the outlet. Another member of the security team was shot in the leg and is recovering in stable condition. Advertisement Pryor's truck, which he uses for his bread-delivery job, was also destroyed after hitting Browning, the outlet reported. 3 Browning still managed to fire several rounds, including one at Pryor's truck, before members of the church security team returned fire. WXYZ-TV A GoFundMe to buy the deacon a new one has raised over $36,000 of its $45,000 goal. Browning's mother is a member of the church, and he attended services there a handful of times over the past year, local outlets previously reported. He was armed with an AR-15-style rifle at the time, along with more than a dozen fully loaded magazines, a semiautomatic handgun with an extended magazine, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Authorities later found more weapons in his home. He had no prior criminal record and might have been suffering a mental health crisis, police said When asked if his life led him to the fateful moment, Pryor replied: 'I definitely do now.'
San Francisco Chronicle
19 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
19 killed in a road collision in Egypt's Nile Delta region
CAIRO (AP) — A truck and a microbus collided on a road in Egypt on Friday, killing 19 people, officials said. The microbus was carrying workers on a regional road in the city of Ashmoun, in the Nile Delta governorate of Menoufia, as they were heading to their jobs, according to a statement by the Labor Ministry. Three people survived the crash. The victims, including the injured, were transferred to General Ashmoun hospital, according to local media reports. Labor Minister Mohamed Gebran ordered authorities to take the necessary measures to disburse compensation to victims' families, sending up to 200,000 Egyptian pounds (about $4,000) to the families of those deceased and 20,000 Egyptian pounds ($400) to each injured person. Menoufia's governor, Ibrahim Abu Leimon. said that the cause of the crash would be urgently investigated, and he called on the transportation ministry to reassess safety measures on the regional road, according to local media outlet Al-Masry Al-Youm. Deadly traffic collisions claim thousands of lives every year in Egypt, which has a poor transportation safety record. Speeding, bad roads and poor enforcement of traffic laws are the main reasons behind most of the crashes.
