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Detroit public school inspections: mold, insects, rodents and leaking roofs

The former Carstens Elementary School building, on Detroit's east side, is one of many, many schools that have been shuttered in Detroit.
Sarah Hulett
/
Michigan Radio
Detroit Public Schools is offering 45 schools to charter companies.

Detroit teachers, parents and students have been complaining their school buildings are falling apart.

Now, health and safety inspection reports from DPS schools are being posted online, and they're not pretty. 

In the first batch of 11 school inspections, officials found rodent and insect issues, mold, a gym that's completely closed because of water damage, broken glass, bathroom doors that don't close, and boilers that don't work. 

Cody High School alone had 30 violations. Inspectors are requiring school administrators to "make necessary repairs to the roof throughout the building to abate the elements ... [and] make necessary repairs to all water damage surfaces to abate mold/mildew at rooms 312 and 322," as well as "rid premise of insect/rodent" issues. 

In a statement, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says they focused on the first 11 schools because of teacher complaints. "We are giving school officials a reasonable timeline to correct the deficiencies, and we hope they will,” the mayor said. “If they don’t, we are going to take prompt legal action to enforce compliance."

You can readthe school inspection reports online. 

Kate Wells is a Peabody Award-winning journalist currently covering public health. She was a 2023 Pulitzer Prize finalist for her abortion coverage.
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