Charter school spared a move to avoid chemicals

Discovery Charter School, an elementary school with 589 students in West Philadelphia, had a scare when a city inspection found hazardous chemicals in the building next door.

The charter school was spared having to consider relocating when the company agreed to remove all the chemicals within 48 hours.

"I'm just glad everyone was in a cooperative spirit," said Jaquelyn Kelley, the school's chief executive officer.

Information letters were sent to parents Thursday, she said.

Officials from the Philadelphia School District are scheduled to inspect the building Friday to make sure the chemicals are gone.

Discovery, which opened in 2003, leases 55,000 square feet at the Philadelphia Business and Technology Center at 5070 Parkside Ave. Kelley said city inspectors had become concerned when they found what they characterized as a large amount of hazardous material stored at EMSCO Scientific Enterprises Inc.

A fire wall separates the school and the company, she said.

Students and staff were never in any immediate danger, Kelly said, but the School District was so concerned that officials asked the school to consider moving.

"We have been neighbors for seven years, and they have been here for 30 years," Kelley said. "There has never been an issue prior to this."

Three weeks ago, the city's Code Enforcement Unit cited EMSCO for storing a large amount of hazardous material without proper permits, according to documents provided by the Department of Licenses and Inspections. The citations do not specify the chemicals or hazardous materials.

EMSCO, which was founded in 1981, "sells a wide range of laboratory supplies, equipment, and chemicals" mostly to the pharmaceutical, education, health-care, industrial, and research markets, its lawyer, Thomas P. Witt, wrote in an e-mail Thursday. He added that EMSCO "obtains products from manufacturers and ships those products to its customers, without opening or using any chemicals in its business."

He said the company disputed the city's findings. But in an effort to work on a resolution with the landlord, EMSCO had "temporarily moved most of the chemicals to an off-site location."

Witt said the company had constructed a special area where the chemicals had been stored. He said the firm had never received a complaint from the charter school or other nearby businesses.

Doresah Ford-Bey, executive director of the district's charter school office, said no problems had been reported during previous inspections.

Benjamin W. Rayer, an associate superintendent who oversees the charter office, said L&I had told the district late last week that inspectors found a large quantity of chemicals stored next to the school.

L&I has begun working more closely with the district on charter school inspections, officials said.