Lead Safety
Overview: Paint & Plaster Stabilization
On June 29, 2018, Governor Tom Wolf, Pennsylvania Senator Vincent Hughes and members of the Philadelphia state delegation announced a $7.6 million grant to address lead paint in our school facilities. This grant will allow us to advance on our goal of creating healthy, safe and welcoming environments at forty (40) schools.
Paint stabilization involves removing loose, peeling, flaking and crumbling paint and plaster under controlled conditions. Schools are selected for this work because paint damage was documented in occupied spaces such as classrooms and classroom closets, administrative offices, cafeteria, auditorium, bathrooms, kitchen, hallways, and emergency exit stairways. The goal of the work is to enhance classroom environments and remove the risk of lead exposure to children in our school community.
1. Buildings and Classrooms free of peeling, flaking and crumbling paint
2. Healthy, safe and clean environments for Philadelphia students, staff and community partners
3. Implementation of safe work practices and testing aligned with city and federal regulations
School Stabilization Reports
Schools selected to receive full stabilization undergo pre-stabilization assessment that determines and clarifies the scope of the project. Upon completion, a final completion report is issued. Search the tabs below to find the current assessment and completion reports. Remember:
- For schools that have an assessment report but do not have a completion report, the full stabilization is not complete.
- If a school is not listed, it has not been selected to receive full stabilization. This does not mean that a school will never receive a full stabilization – it may be selected in coming years.
5 -Step Process for Schools Undergoing Full Stabilization:
- Identification: Available data and visual inspections used to identify paint and plaster damage in the building.
- Assessment: Licensed and professional environmental consultant verifies all areas of paint and plaster damage, tests all painted surfaces that have damage, completes a detailed report, and develops project scope.
- Remediation: Trained and qualified District maintenance staff and external contractors complete paint and plaster repairs using lead-safe work practices.
- Testing: All affected surfaces are tested after the remediation is complete, to confirm that they are free of lead dust and safe for re-occupancy.
- Cleaning: All affected spaces are deep cleaned and prepared for education and occupancy to resume.
What You Can Expect:
- All work will occur during the evenings and when staff and students are not in the rooms.
- A thorough post-stabilization cleaning will be performed to make sure that surfaces are clean of dust and debris when children return to their classrooms.
- A coordinated testing process will be conducted in all areas where lead paint stabilization work has been conducted and completed.
- Testing results will be provided in a final report that will be present on this website, and in the main office after the project is completed.
Resources: School Communities are Critical to Project Success!
As part of all stabilization projects, the District follows a cleaning and testing protocol developed in partnership with parents, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, and members of the Philadelphia Healthy Schools Coalition. The partnership and involvement of school staff, students, parents and partners are critical to ensuring future success.
How You Can Help:
- Share information about the project on school-based social media.
- Identify two parents to serve on the Project Team and/or be a parent liaison between school and District administration.
- Attend project update meetings and testing demonstrations.
- Review the project scope and weekly schedule.
- Volunteer to de-clutter and prepare spaces for work.
- Reach out to your public officials and express support for resources to address school building conditions.
Community Resources
Padres con niños de 6 años o menos, lea esto!
Click here to find services to help you and your family make your home healthier and safer!
Visit to learn more about lead safety.
Learn more about SDP stabilization projects here!
Lead Safe Certification Program
In addition to our full stabilization program, all schools are enrolled in the District’s Lead Safe Certification Program. Visit the Lead Safe page for more information!
Last modified: April 7, 2020
