Following a tour of DPS school buildings, Mayor Mike Duggan has asked the heads of the Building, Safety, Engineering and Environmental Department and Detroit Health Department to begin immediate inspections of all Detroit public schools.
The City’s inspections started Tuesday, Jan. 12 at Spain Elementary Middle School. The inspection schedule is as follows:
- By the end of January, inspections will be complete on all 20 DPS school buildings believed to be most problematic.
- By the end of April, inspections will be complete on all 97 DPS school buildings.
- Inspections on charter schools will begin during this period as well.
Mayor Duggan also asked Detroit parents, teachers and students to report potential health and safety concerns on a new application that went live today on the City’s website, www.detroitmi.gov. The form allows citizens to report building problems such as heating and cooling issues, mold, structural issues, electrical and fire hazards. City departments will follow up with inspections based on public reports. The direct link for the reporting form is bit.ly/SafeSchoolsDetroit.
If code violations are found, BSEED will take appropriate action to make sure that the violations are understood, along with the required repairs and the timeline for completing them. If any potential health hazards are identified, the Department of Public Health will also conduct an investigation to assure both compliance and a healthy environment for students and teachers.
“This effort isn’t about blaming anybody,” Mayor Duggan said. “It’s about making sure that every child and every teacher in Detroit goes to school in a safe and healthy environment. We’ve been assured by Emergency Manager Earley that DPS will respond promptly to correct any deficiencies found in these inspections and we look forward to working with the district to resolve these problems.”
