MILWAUKEE — The City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) will release the findings of a Lead Risk Assessment (LRA) for Golda Meir Lower Campus to the public on Tuesday.
City health officials found excessive lead levels at Golda Meir and Albert E. Kagel Dual Language School in dust and paint on Thursday after two Milwaukee Public Schools students tested positive for lead poisoning. MHD found one of those students was exposed to lead paint in a basement bathroom at Golda Meir Lower Campus last month.
An MHD spokesperson provided a statement ahead of Tuesday’s LRA release:
The City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) remains committed to ensuring the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). To maintain safe facilities, MPS must fully adhere to MHD’s directives on lead hazard cleaning, remediation, and abatement. MHD continues to assess schools and support the MPS facilities team to ensure compliance with these directives. If MHD determines that MPS is not following its safety measure directives, MHD will explore additional enforcement actions as necessary.
Schools in question remained open last week after MHS inspections. In a letter dated Wednesday, Feb. 5, excessive lead levels were found in “multiple areas” at Golda Meir, in deteriorated lead paint and in lead dust wipes at Kagel School and a “strong potential presence of deteriorated lead paint” at Maryland Avenue Montessori.
The letter instructs MPS to “immediately and significantly improve its detection, monitoring, and control of lead hazards.” Recommendations include revising MPS’s Lead Management Plan, prioritizing high-risk facilities for testing and remediation, controlling identified lead hazards and updating cleaning/ lead dust prevention protocols.
