Teachers' Union Announces Lawsuit Against School District Of Philadelphia Over Handling Of Asbestos Found In Schools

Joe Holden reports.

.LIVE FROM THE CBS BROADCASTCENTER IN PHILADELPHIA, THIS ISCBS3 "EYEWITNESS NEWS."WHEN ARE OUR CHILDREN GOINGTO FEEL SAFE AGAIN.AND WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO BEHEALTHY.PARENTS AND TEACHERSFIGHTING FOR A SAFER SCHOOL OFTHE PHILADELPHIA TEACHERS UNION,THEY JUST ANNOUNCED THEY'REFOLLOWING A LAWSUIT DAYS AFTERTHE SCHOOL DISTRICT WAS FORCEDTO CLOSE A BUILDING THAT IT HADTHOUGHT HAD BEEN THOROUGHLYCLEANED.GOOD AFTERNOON, I'M JIM DONOVANVAN, JANELLE IS ON ASSIGNMENT.JOEL HOLDEN AT HEADQUARTERSWHERE THE UNION EXPLAINED WHYIT'S TAKING TO THE SCHOOLDISTRICT TO COURT.GOOD AFTERNOON.THIS IS AN EVOLVING STORY ANDTHE PHILADELPHIA FEDERATION OFTEACHERS ASKING THE COURTS TOSTEP IN AND TAKE JURISDICTIONOVER WHAT IS QUICKLY BECOMING ANASBESTOS CRISIS ACROSS SEVERALSCHOOLS IN THE PHILADELPHIASCHOOL DISTRICT.LAST WEEK PARENTS DESCRIBEDBEING CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OFWHAT WAS A CHESS MATCH AS THEDISTRICT CLEARED FROM McCLUREELEMENTARY ONLY TO RESCIND THATAFTER THE UNION FLAGS THE USE OFPROTOCOLS FOR TESTING OF THATFACILITY, UNION ANNOUNCED ITSINTENT TO FILE THE HE WAS THELATER TODAY.WE'RE TOLD THE COMPLAINT ISSTILL BEING FINALIZE AS WESPEAK, SCHOOLS AFFECTED BY THEASBESTOS CRISIS INCLUDERICHMOND, T M PIERCE, CARNELL,McCLURE, BEN FRANKLIN HIGHSCHOOL.JUST TO NAME A FEW.THE STEP TO ASK FOR THE COURTSTO GET INVOLVED IS COMING ALMOSTAS AN EMERGENCY AS THIS CRISISCONTINUE TO EVOLVE, PARENTSCLAIM THEIR CHILDREN ARE BEINGCAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF AGAMBLE, HERE IS ONE DAD.WHEN WE TALK ABOUT TRUST, ANDBEING FORTHRIGHT WITH THEPARENT, THERE IS ZERO TRUST FROMPARENTS, I'M SPEAKING FROM MYPERSPECTIVE AS A PARENT, ZEROTRUSTS ON ANYTHING THAT THEDISTRICT SAYS THEY HAVE TO SHOWUS.WELL, ON THE SCHOOL DISTRICTDID RELEASE A STATEMENT AFTER WEASKED FOR THEIR COMMENT ABOUTTHE PENDING LITIGATION, THEYVOTE AND I QUOTE, ALL OF OURSTUDENTS AND STAFF MEMBERSDESERVE THAT WE STAY 100%FOCUSED ON OUR EFFORTS TOIMPROVE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONSIN SCHOOLS.WE WILL DO JUST THAT.OUR HOPE IS WE CAN FOCUS OURCOLLECTIVE EFFORTS ON FINALIZINGTHE PROCESSES AND PROTOCOLS,DOCUMENTS WE PROPOSE TO THE PFTIN NOVEMBER AND GENERALLY WORKTOGETHER TO ADDRESSENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES EFFECTIVELYAND WITH THE URGENCY OURSTUDENTS AND SEDATIVE DESERVE,WE WILL THOROUGHLY REVIEW THELEGAL FILING.ONCE WE RECEIVED THEM.THE SCHOOL UNION IS CALLINGON TOM WOLF TO RELEASE FUNDS.THERE IS A LOT TO BREAK DOWN,FOLLOWING THIS MORNINGANNOUNCEMENT, WE'RE BACKSTARTING ON "EYEWITNESS NEWS" AT4:00 WITH THE LATEST, INCLUDINGREACTION FROM TOP CITY LEADERS,I WILL SEE YOU THEN.