Toilets in a trailer aren’t a long-term fix for the problems at this South Philly elementary school, lawmakers say
“The bathrooms are disgusting, they’re so dirty and smell terrible,” a fifth grader said of the South Philadelphia school.
Southwark Elementary’s often-broken bathrooms, mice infestations, and other building problems constitute an emergency that needs immediate attention, city and state politicians told Philadelphia School District leaders this week.
Staff and parents have raised concerns about facility issues at the well-regarded K-8 school for years, and district officials recently promised more action, including the installation of temporary bathrooms in trailers. The district’s $2.8 billion facilities plan calls for $45.8 million in upgrades to Southwark — but not until 2032.
A clutch of legislators is pressing for a swifter response.
“After repeated efforts to address these problems in recent years, the plumbing and rodent issues persist,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. and school board president Reginald Streater this week. “We appreciate the district’s work to address these issues and believe that strategies like the proposed outdoor bathroom trailers could provide important backup capacity for emergencies, but are not sufficient or appropriate for regular use over the next seven years.”
Southwark’s issues highlight the scope of the Philadelphia School District’s facilities crisis.
Even if the school board closes the 18 schools Watlington has proposed permanently shutting beginning in 2027, it will still struggle with the needs of about 200 schools, many of them old and in poor repair, like Southwark. And while Southwark has the advantage of an active, engaged community, including parents who have publicly pushed the system for better, that’s a relative rarity for the school system — and it’s just one of many schools in dire need of repair. The facilities plan includes planned modernization projects for 159 schools over the next several years.
Wholesale changes are coming to the Philadelphia School District, with Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. proposing a $2.8 billion facilities plan that includes closing 18 schools.
Watlington presented the plan to the school board Feb. 26 and it has already faced strong opposition. It's not yet final. Here's what we do and don't know.
And to see the proposed list school closures and check how your school could be impacted, use our interactive charts.
Each of the 18 schools proposed for closure has its own story. Find them all here.
The $45.8 million planned investment in Southwark includes an annex with a new gym and classrooms, an electrical overhaul, and other building improvements. But that project is years away, and is contingent on the school system receiving state or philanthropic funding.
State Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler (D., Philadelphia), State Sen. Nikil Saval (D., Philadelphia), City Councilmember Mark Squilla, City Council President Kenyatta Johnson and other lawmakers all signed the letter asking the district to accelerate the modernization project by allocating capital funds in the district’s 2026-27 budget.
“We believe it is critical the district address this situation as an emergency,” the legislators wrote.
In a response sent Wednesday, Oz Hill, Watlington’s deputy superintendent for operations, said the district will need to stick to its current timeline and renovation plans for Southwark.
But Hill said the district has applied for a state grant that, if awarded, would allow it to begin planning a $1.8 million bathroom modernization later this year.
“With respect specifically to SY 26-27, the district recognizes that Southwark has additional bathroom and plumbing needs beyond the scope of the initial grant application,” Hill wrote. “District staff will continue to address plumbing repairs and pest concerns through ongoing twice-weekly maintenance and interim mitigation efforts. While temporary solutions such as restroom trailers may provide additional emergency capacity if needed, we understand and agree that they are not a long-term replacement for permanent indoor restroom access.”
Fiedler indicated even the district’s additional promises are not enough.
“I remain deeply concerned by the conditions and by the timeline for the plumbing issues to be addressed,” Fiedler, who is a Southwark parent, said in a statement.
‘This is an adult problem’
More than 200 parents and students attended a community meeting in the Southwark school auditorium earlier this month to tell district officials about the poor conditions at their school.
Olivia Cuarezma, a Southwark fifth grader, spoke at the meeting and said she loves her language program, her teachers, and her friends. But the school has “a big problem,” she said.
“The bathrooms are disgusting, they’re so dirty and smell terrible,” said Olivia, 10. There’s sewage coming up from the floors, not enough soap and paper towels, and broken stall doors. And unreliable toilets mean there’s often not enough places for students to use the bathroom. Many students hold their urine in, she said, because they don’t want to use school toilets.
“I want a solution to fix our school,” Olivia said. “I have three more years there, and in that time, I would like to use the bathroom when I need to. I don’t know all the answers, but I do know that this is really an adult problem, and it’s affecting 900 of us students.”
Parisa Cuarezma, mom of Olivia and another daughter in eighth grade, said she loves Southwark and thinks it has much to be proud of: It’s an in-demand school of 900 students with a diverse student body. It has an active group of parents, a Spanish-language immersion program, and a host of community partnerships. But Cuarezma is frustrated by the conditions its students have to endure.
“As we say in South Philly, it’s a sin and a shame,” said Cuarezma. “Kids should not have to hold it, so to speak. This is basic. The audacity of the school district!”
In a recent letter to district officials, Victoria Rosenberger, another Southwark parent, noted that in an April 7 walk-through of the school — after the district said it had conducted a deep clean over spring break — there were still “persistent and severe conditions.” She cited “unusable bathrooms, standing water, broken fixtures, and active rodent presence in classrooms while children are learning.”
Hill, in his response to lawmakers, said the school system “also remains committed to evaluating Southwark’s needs as part of our broader capital planning process, including continued review of facilities condition data, plumbing deficiencies, accessibility concerns, and modernization priorities.”
Hill and the lawmakers are scheduled to meet at Southwark on Monday at 11 a.m.
