3 MPS schools still temporarily closed while lead remediation work is underway

Three schools in Milwaukee remain temporarily closed two weeks after “significant lead hazards” were found inside the buildings. 

Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Health Department is still revising a “Lead Action Plan” from Milwaukee Public Schools. The plan will outline how the district will inspect other school properties for lead and clean those found to have hazards.

Three schools — Starms Early Childhood, Fernwood Montessori and LaFollette School — all temporarily closed March 17 after staff with the city health department noticed lead hazards like chipping paint when inspecting the properties. Students have been transferred to different schools while remediation is underway.

During a Friday press conference, Tyler Weber, the Milwaukee Health Department’s deputy commissioner for environmental health, did not give a timeline on when the schools might reopen.

“We want to get these kids back into a safe environment for the wellness of the children and parents,” Weber said.

“Renovation work is happening and they’re (schools) not ready to be opened,” he added. 

The closures come as four other Milwaukee Public Schools have been recently investigated for high levels of lead. One of those schools, Trowbridge Street School of Great Lakes Studies, was shut down by the Milwaukee Health Department in late February due to “unsafe lead dust levels.” It reopened two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, four MPS students have tested positive for lead poisoning in recent months.

Children younger than age 6 are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning, according to Mayo Clinic. Lead poisoning can affect children’s mental and physical development.

MPS ‘Lead Action Plan’ being revised

A March 27 health department progress update letter sent to families and staff of the district said MPS submitted a “Lead Action Plan” to the department before its March 21 deadline. Weber said the department has a draft of the plan. 

“We’re working on some feedback,” Weber said. “It’s a back-and-forth right now. We’re confident we’ll have a collaborative plan put forth that will also be made public.” 

Weber said the plan will include details of how the district will inspect its properties and how lead remediation work will be done in the future. It could include a schedule of future inspections as well.

“We’re going to need to work at a more faster, urgent pace than is happening now,” Weber said.  

Last week the state Department of Health Services notified the district that state inspectors found children were allowed to return to classrooms at Fernwood Montessori School that were still contaminated with lead even after cleanup work. The letter said MPS must notify the state and city health departments whenever lead renovation work is being done.

The state letter also said 11 district employees who had been performing lead remediation work may not have been trained to do so. 

“Records do not indicate if they were trained by a certified lead safe renovator or what they were trained on,” the letter stated.

Weber said the letter was “disappointing.” 

“It gives us a benchmark to work from now to get more MPS staff trained as lead safe renovators, and make sure that skill set is kept up,” Weber said. 

There are 85 schools in the district built before 1978, when lead-based paint was banned. Lead dust is often formed as lead paint chips and wears down, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

“We want to get into a place where MPS is again proficient at identifying lead hazards, at getting ahead of it, of taking care of their buildings,” Weber said Friday.  

Schools still being cleaned 

The progress update letter to families and staff shed more light on the work being done at the closed schools.

Fernwood Montessori is a kindergarten through eighth grade school in the city’s Bay View neighborhood.

• “Wall repairs and stabilization are nearly complete,” the letter said about that school. “Once painting is complete, the entire building will undergo deep cleaning. MHD (Milwaukee Health Department) will reinspect the building before any reopening decision is made.”

LaFollette School is a kindergarten through eighth grade school on the city’s north side.

• “Staff are preparing the building for remediation, and paint stabilization is expected to begin next week,” the letter said about LaFollette School.

Starms Early Childhood is a kindergarten through third grade school on the city’s north side.

• “Work is underway, with staff preparing the building and painting now occurring in areas not requiring major preparation,” the letter said about Starms Early Childhood.

Some parents in the district have started a website and petition in response to the issue, asking for more transparency from the district. 

“I do think speed is important, but not at the expense of doing the job the correct way,” Kristen Payne, one of the organizers of that effort, said about the schools reopening.

2 closed schools are polling places

Two of the closed schools — Fernwood Montessori and LaFollette School— are polling locations for Milwaukee residents. Both sites will be open during the April 1 spring primary election.

“The City of Milwaukee Election Commission is working in close coordination with MHD and MPS to ensure safe voting conditions,” the letter to families said.

Weber said voting will take place at the “newer wings” at both of those schools in order to keep voters safe.

“All remediation and cleaning work will be paused on Election Day, and MHD-approved precautionary measures will be in place to protect voters and election workers,” the letter said.