Attorneys For Present, Past Employees Ask Scranton Schools To Disclose All Environmental Inspection Records

SCRANTON, Pa., Feb. 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorneys for current and former Scranton School District (SSD) employees who recently filed a Federal lawsuit against the District, are now requesting prompt public disclosure of all environmental inspection records related to unsafe levels of asbestos and lead to which employees, schoolchildren, and others have been exposed over several years, the legal team led by the law firm of Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett and Bendesky (SMBB) announced today.

The document request, in a letter signed by SMBB's Patrick Howard on behalf of SMBB and co-counsel Paul Batyko Law, LLC, and Gustafson Gluek, PLLC – is directed to SSD President Katie Gilmartin with copies to the Board Secretary and Solicitor. Attorney Howard explains in the letter that the firms' clients, as well numerous others from the community who contacted them expressing grave concerns about their health and safety and that of their children, asks for the information  to help them better "understand the degree of current and future health risk" they may face from exposure to carcinogenic asbestos in buildings and hazardous lead in pipes, sinks, and drinking fountains.  A core demand of the newly-filed class action lawsuit (O'Donnell et al. v. Scranton School District, et al., U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania 3:20-cv-00225-JMM) is that a special victims health fund be established and maintained to provide comprehensive, personalized medical monitoring.

Mr. Howard, who is making a copy of the attorney's communication (Link To Letter) public following its receipt by the District, added, "I hope the Board President agrees that the best way to calm fears is with transparency and facts, and this is a community in desperate need of facts that have been lacking regarding these serious health and safety-related issues. There is no legal impediment preventing the immediate release of inspection reports- including the findings of the District's environmental consultant -  that we firmly believe should be made public without delay."

SOURCE Saltz, Mongeluzzi, Barrett & Bendesky, P.C.