A report from Aljazeera points out in dramatic fashion the state of facilities in the Philadephia Public Schools. It is estimated that the deferred maintenance was in the hundreds of billions of dollars in 2013.

PHILADELPHIA — Public schools are usually considered to be safe places for our children. But what if the school buildings, where many kids spend hours of their day, are damaging their health?

That’s a question that some Philadelphia parents, teachers and advocates are asking in their fight for better conditions — and more transparency.
A series of reports this year from the city’s controller, which inspected 20 of the city’s more than 200 schools, said the buildings were “deplorable and dangerous environment for kids.

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