MILWAUKEE- Milwaukee Public Schools has a little over a month until it meets a Milwaukee Health Department deadline to report on its lead abatement efforts.
District leaders, including Interim Chief School Administrator Michael Harris, were called upon by the city’s Public Safety & Health Committee to provide an update on where those efforts stand today.
Harris says the district has contracted with Restoration & Cleaning Services to help not only with the initial cleaning process, but to provide guidance on how to maintain standards laid out by the Health Department.
“We are using the contractors to help us train our staff better,” Harris said. “This is helping us in multiple ways… we are now able to go into our other schools to get a jump start on other areas that we can now identify & know what to look for.”
Earlier this month, after lead testing results at Golda Meir Lower Campus and Kagel Schools were made public, the Milwaukee Health Department said the buildings were safe to remain open, however if they didn’t lower their lead levels, they may be forced to close.
“As we continue to look at more schools, we are concerned that hazards at remaining schools that were built before 1978 need to be addressed,” Milwaukee Health Commissioner Mike Totoraitis said during a hearing Thursday.
The Health Department says it expects MPS to deliver a plan on how to address high lead levels in schools by March 31st.
While both Golda Meir Lower Campus & Kagel School testing is complete, MHD says it expects results from Maryland Avenue Montessori School ‘soon’ & the district says plans are being developed to test at additional schools this spring.
