The dispute began this summer, parent Ana Ribeiro said, when families learned that special education students would lose some basement space to make room for music and dance rooms. Ribeiro said she has been seeking action for four months and believes conditions in the basement have not been addressed.

After reviewing Chicago Public Schools asbestos reports last week, Ribeiro said she found no record of work on deteriorating walls, plaster and tiles in the basement. Her account was not independently confirmed in the information available.

“When the burden falls only on kids with disabilities, this is not a space issue, it is a discrimination issue,” Ribeiro said. She said she has hired an attorney to ensure her son receives the services in his Individualized Education Program in an appropriate space. She added that she wants him to remain at Prescott and said the conditions are also affecting teachers.

The Illinois Department of Public Health said it has an open investigation concerning asbestos at Prescott. The agency declined to provide further details while the investigation is underway.

CPS said it is committed to providing students with disabilities the services required by their plans and to ensuring that instructional spaces are safe. The district acknowledged families’ concerns about space but said all instructional areas at Prescott are safe and that, although some classrooms have been relocated, no students have been displaced.