Dear Supporters –
The Milwaukee Health Department and Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) held separate press conferences. The press conferences answered some questions that parents have had but left others unanswered. If you have not had a chance to watch these press conferences yet, please see them here:
- Milwaukee Health Department Press Conference 2-11-25: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ggb2tDI-94
- MPS Press Conference 2-11-25: https://youtu.be/neXw9EYjAks?si=Y4OPjqZeeI-bC5a6
We applaud the Milwaukee Health Department’s transparency. They answered the call to release the environmental health assessments that have been completed thus far and have noted they have plans to release future assessments of MPS schools to the public. We also applaud the Health Department for thinking critically about their role in prevention of lead poisoning in the city in light of the cases of lead poisoning (2 confirmed, 2 more suspected) from MPS schools. We would like to see the Milwaukee Health Department develop a School Lead Monitoring Program. Given their statutory role in protecting public health and the failures that are now coming to light in MPS school buildings, it is imperative that the health department step into a role of further assessing the extent of the problem in our city and to act as an assessment and enforcement arm for lead safety in our schools. If we have to live with lead in our schools, then public health efforts need to be focused on PREVENTION efforts. At this juncture the extent of the problem is unknown and the Health Department should cast a wide net, assessing all of the buildings with known lead paint. Furthermore, all MPS schools should have their water tested given the elevated levels of lead in some of Golda Meir’s water. The last MPS-wide testing program for lead in water was completed in 2016. It’s time to update that testing.
We share Tyler Weber’s concern that MPS facilities management has not adequately maintained MPS school properties in compliance with their own written Lead Paint Safety Program. Given that lead paint was illegal after 1978, there has been almost 50 years of repainting and maintenance that should have been completed in buildings older than 1978. We need MPS to release the results of their yearly walk throughs of all MPS buildings over the last 10 years – these reports need to include the dates of inspections as well as any remediation that took place following these assessments.
The pictures of the paint in Golda Meir show deterioration that did not happen overnight. If MPS’ yearly building inspections were occurring as they should have it is safe to assume these would have been caught. We need MPS to release in writing a revised plan for its Lead Paint Safety Program that takes into account the failures surfacing at many MPS schools.
The report from Golda Meir showed multiple elevated lead-in-water readings. While Sean Kane was dismissive and stated that “students should not be drinking the water” from these faucets, parents know that children will drink from water sources other than water fountains. We are calling on MPS to outfit all water sources with NSF certified lead-removal filtration, whether or not they are identified as drinking fountains. Signage stating “For Handwashing Only” is inadequate and does not take into account the developmental stages and behaviors of children.
We are calling on both the Milwaukee Health Department and MPS to include critical stakeholders in their discussions related to the demands listed here. Stakeholders include parents, teachers, environmental service staff, and community members. Any plans that do not take into account stakeholders are incomplete.
Thank you!
Kristen Payne, Ph.D
Golda Meir Parent
