MILWAUKEE — With lead hazard remediation and cleaning complete, Trowbridge School is set to reopen on Friday, March 15.
The City of Milwaukee Health Department and Milwaukee Public Schools closed the elementary school on March 3 after finding high levels of lead dust in the building.
According to Milwaukee Health Department Commissioner Michael Totoritis, the decision to close the school was based off of two factors.
“The first factor was that earlier in February when we were walking through the schools our staff did observe some unsafe lead work happening,” said Totoritis. “So a staff member was scraping paint without proper containment in the school and that was immediately addressed. The staff person stopped and made the proper corrections to stop doing that.”
The second issue Milwaukee Health Department pointed out was that lead dust was found on previously clean surfaces.
Students and staff have been working from the Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning. MPS will also work to ensure students and staff only drink from filtered water stations.
Trowbridge was the only MPS school to have been shuttered since children tested positive for lead poisoning in the district in January. Three additional schools — Golda Meir School, Albert E. Kagel School, and Maryland Avenue Montessori — were found with high levels of lead. Remediation and cleaning is ongoing.
