2 more Milwaukee Public Schools to close due to lead hazards

Two more Milwaukee Public Schools will temporarily close next month due to lead hazards in the buildings.

The closures come as the district has been dealing with an ongoing lead crisis in its schools. Lead hazards been found in nine schools in the district so far, while four MPS students have tested positive for lead poisoning.

The latest closings will target two elementary schools, Brown Street Academy and Westside Academy.

A visual assessment released by the Milwaukee Health Department found lead dust hazards on the floors and horizontal surfaces in both buildings. The assessment also identified chipping and peeling paint in the properties.

“While there is no immediate danger in these buildings and no students in them have yet been identified as having elevated lead levels, there is significant work that needs to be done in many parts of the building[s],” MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said during a press conference Monday. 

Students and staff at Westside Academy will relocate to Douglas Middle School on May 5, while students at Brown Street Academy will relocate to Douglas on May 12. 

“Starting in May, rather than waiting until the end of the school year, gives our team the ability to complete this work well in advance of the next school year, and also allows us to work on other buildings over the summer,” Cassellius said.

Four MPS schools have already temporarily closed due to lead hazards. Two — Trowbridge Street School for Great Lakes Studies and Fernwood Montessori School — have reopened, while the other two are still closed while lead remediation work continues. 

Mike Totoraitis, the city’s health commissioner, said he understands a school closing can be nuisance for a families.

“But these are really important investments and stabilization activities to ensure that the children do not have long-term, permanent brain damage,” Totoraitis said. 

No amount of lead in the blood is safe for children, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC has found that children under the age of 6 are the most at risk.

Lead cleanup work has already cost the district nearly $2 million, according to Cassellius.

Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Health Department is no longer receiving help from lead danger experts with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because of federal budget cuts.

MPS Lead Action Plan released

The Milwaukee Public Schools district released its Lead Action Plan on Monday. MPS plans to perform visual lead hazard inspections at 106 elementary schools built before 1978 by the start of the next school year. 

“It [the plan] will guide our approach moving forward in a way that’s predictable, transparent and creates the urgency that we need,” Cassellius said.

There are 54 elementary schools built before 1950 in the district and 52 built between 1950 and 1978. Lead-based paint was banned by the federal government in 1978. Lead dust is often formed as lead paint chips and wear down, according to the CDC.

Monday, Cassellius said cleanup work at any elementary school with lead hazards built before 1950 will be completed by the start of the next school year on Sept. 2. Lead cleanup work at any elementary schools with lead hazards built between 1950 and 1978 will be completed by the end of 2025, according to Cassellius.

Weekly updates for school-specific lead remediation work will be shared with the public starting May 31, according to the plan. A preliminary schedule for stabilization work will also be updated after visual inspections are completed.

“As buildings with a higher level of severity are identified, the intent is to adjust the schedule accordingly to address those with the greatest need sooner,” the plan states.

Tyler Weber, the Milwaukee Health Department’s deputy commissioner for environmental health, called the plan “evolving.”  

“The schools with the youngest kids and the oldest buildings and the most hazards, they’ll be prioritized,” Weber said.

The Lead Action Plan says the visual inspection will be conducted by lead risk assessors from the city health department, the school district or a third party contractor.

“This assessment identifies visible lead hazards [such as peeling paint or accumulated dust] and evaluates the risk of exposure based on the location of the hazard and the vulnerability of the children who might come into contact with it,” the plan said.

According to the plan, schools considered “low hazard” by inspectors will still be recommended for cleaning. Schools with a medium or high hazard, “might require further assessment, renovation, and — in some cases — partial or full closure to allow remediation to proceed safely,” the plan states. 

Closures are recommended when hazards are serious enough that remediation work cannot be completed safely and efficiently without exposing students and staff, according to the plan.

A full risk assessment is a more detailed assessment and includes testing of the paint, dust, soil and water samples.

Any renovations will be performed by certified lead-safe renovators, according to the plan. Those workers will, “remove lead-based paint and other hazards following strict safety procedures to protect students and staff.”

A school has to pass a clearance inspection after that work is completed.

2 schools still closed

Two MPS schools remain closed as of Monday — Starms Early Childhood and LaFollette School. 

An April 15 letter to families of Starms Early Childhood said lead cleanup work there is 75 percent complete.

Work at LaFollette School could take longer. 

“After hiring an additional contractor, work to address lead hazards at LaFollette School started on Tuesday, April 15,” a letter to families states. “Once lead-painted surfaces are stabilized and the building is thoroughly cleaned, the City of Milwaukee Health Department [MHD] will test the building to clear it for occupancy. MPS expects this process to last four to five weeks.” 

The next lead testing clinic for MPS students will be held from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. May 7 at North Division High School in Milwaukee. 

 Beginning in 2024, the state recommended blood lead testing for: 

• All children — once at the age of 1 and once at the age of 2
• Any child ages 3 to 5 who has not been tested previously