Several schools in Milwaukee, Wis. were found to have high levels of lead within their facilities, prompting the city’s Health Department to order the school district to address the hazards.
According to WISN12, it was only after at least two – potentially four - students tested positive for lead-poisoning that the city of Milwaukee moved to do testing at several schools, finding that lead hazards inside Milwaukee Public School (MPS) buildings far exceeded state safety standards.
A report done by the Milwaukee Health Department found that at one school the lead dust level on windowsills was more than 14 times allowable standards. In addition, dust levels on the ground floor were more than six times the standard, meaning that all floors were considered hazardous. The findings come just after MPS committed to a Lead-Based Paint Compliance program that requires the district to inspect and correct lead-based paint hazards every year, according to the Milwaukee Journal. No lead was found in the buildings’ water pipes.
The Milwaukee Journal reports that the district had a strict deadline to tape or cover certain surfaces that are accessible to children until hazard work is completed. The school district is also facing deadlines to repair all interior lead hazards identified in the lead risk assessment and to conduct a final cleaning using a HEPA vacuum and specific cleaning techniques.
MPS representatives have said that the district has swiftly moved to address the lead hazards at the school since it was first identified in January. According to the Journal, MPS staff have been repainting surfaces and cleaning the school in response to directives.
There is no safe number of levels of lead for children. Failure to act quickly and effectively could place more children at risk of lead poisoning. According to the CDC, lead poisoning can cause:
However, it’s not fully realistic to be able to fully remove lead from the buildings, seeing as the average age of district buildings are 82 years old, according to the Journal. Continued monitoring of painted surfaces in any building before 1978 is critical for the health and safety of all occupants.
Officials at MPS have claimed that schools are safe to occupy, but the Health Department countered saying that the schools are only safe if MPS adheres to directives regarding remediation, cleaning and abatement.
Not everyone is convinced of MPS’ ability to address the lead hazards, though. According to TMJ4, MPS director of facilities and maintenance Sean Kane, who is heading up the project, was allegedly hired to the district without proper licensing that is required for the job. Policy states that the director must be either a registered architect or engineer.
According to TMJ4, Kane was approved by the school board on October 19, 2021 and had no registered license at the time. Nearly three years after he was hired, administrators received a complaint on their fraud hotline about his lack of licensing. The very next day, Kane renewed his license, telling TMJ4 that he was approached the day before the complaint was made about his license lapsing. Kane told the publication that he assumed the license was still active but that payments were not made.
Parents and employees within the district have claimed that the missed accountability of Kane’s license comes at the expense of the health and safety of children. Despite these feelings, Kane has reiterated that MPS buildings are safe for students and that staff is doing what they can to aid in abatement.
Mackenna Moralez is the associate editor of the facilities market and the host of the Facilities in Focus podcast.
