Unsafe Building Conditions Keep Detroit School Closed For Second Day

DETROIT (WWJ) - A Detroit school remains closed for a second day due to unsafe building conditions.

Palmer Park Prep Academy, which made headlines recently for crowded classrooms and poor building conditions, was closed Monday and will remain closed Tuesday.

Detroit schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti told the school board that Monday's closure was due to the majority of teachers calling off work because of the building's leaking roof and concerns over mold exposure. Reports say a section of the roof has collapsed, leaving a large portion of the school unusable.

The head of the Detroit Federation of Teachers says the building, on Livernois just south of 7 Mile Road, should be closed.

Repair crews are now cleaning and fixing the building and relocating classrooms from damaged areas.

Vitti, who is expected to meet with staff Tuesday, says they're working on it but quite a bit of work needs to be done before the building is safer for everyone. He said their focus is on educating students, so they want to get the school back open as soon as possible.