Philadelphia Inquirer Allows Opinion Writer to Expose Possible Covid Relief Fraud at School District

Kyle Sammin, editor for Broad + Liberty, penned a commentary about the abject failure to address the air quality crisis in Philadelphia public schools. A special independent oversight panel has closed six schools for asbestos contamination. This panel, highlighted in an article PA-CHD put out in March, was being sued by the school district to wrestle back control so it could keep these contaminated schools open and presumed unsafe.

Sammin spoke to the fact that even though the school district had 5 months to shutter school buildings during the COVID lockdowns and $1,800,000,000 in federal relief funds, it was expected that they would engage in air quality issues, but they actually did next to nothing. One wonders if they even consulted with an industrial hygienist. Instead, the school district leadership made a big show of the portable air filters they purchased to place in classrooms as well as window air conditioner units. Most students never saw these “improvements.”.

What needs to be said regarding the Philadelphia Inquirer is that they never did this type of reporting to begin with, which may have helped push the district into action. Instead, they have left this egregious lack of oversight, incredible neglect, and possible fraud to guest opinions like Mr. Sammin and White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha.

Dr Jha in a joint Inquirer interview with Philadelphia Health Commissioner Cheryl Bettigole purposely pointed out the massive funding that was just sitting in City of Philadelphia bank accounts that would be best used to address air quality in schools. He clearly pointed out that this was the best way to reduce respiratory illness of all kinds and that masking did not work but created optics that made it seem like you were doing something.  You don’t need to be an expert to understand a school flushed out of respiratory virus is one also flushed of asbestos and mold.