THIS PETITION HAS BEEN UPDATED TO INCLUDE INFORMATION AS IT COMES IN REGARDING THE LEAD EMERGENCY IN MPS.  The data is broken down by school and provided in chronological order therein.

GOLDA MEIR LOWER CAMPUS

On January 13th parents at Golda Meir school received an email from the City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) and MPS notifying families of a case of lead poisoning that was caused from lead hazards in the school environment.  MPS facilities worked with MHD to conduct an initial visual inspection on January 10th, at which point chipping paint was located as a potential source of lead exposure.  Remediation efforts took place on the bathroom that following weekend.  However, it was not until January 13th that families were informed there was any issue. Parents were told the BUILDING WAS SAFE for students to occupy based on the information supplied by MHD.

On February 6th multiple news organizations published an MHD letter sent to MPS District and to the school board indicating the findings of MHD's environmental assessments of several MPS schools. MHD and the City of Milwaukee held a press conference that same day to disclose these findings.  All of this took place without first notifying the schools and families affected.  

On the evening of February 6th an email from MHD came to MPS parents disclosing some of the findings from the environmental assessments.  In that letter MHD made the following statement, "The City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) has identified hazardous levels of lead contamination in multiple Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) buildings. These findings, uncovered through separate case investigations by our Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (CLPPP), in consultation with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), confirm lead hazards inside MPS buildings that exceed state safety standards. As the city’s public health authority, we must inform you that these findings pose an immediate and ongoing risk to the health and safety of students and staff." This statement directly contradicted the statements made in the press conference, which indicated the schools were safe to be used due to cleaning procedures. 

On February 7th, parents at Golda Meir school received communication from MPS indicating that "The Milwaukee Health Department has communicated with and assured Milwaukee Public Schools that our buildings are safe for students to continue attending classes in these buildings, and the schools with remain open."

On February 11th, meeting one of our demands, MHD released the full lead risk assessment report for Golda Meir, including a separate lead-in-water report.  The findings were shocking.  The entire building was filled with serious lead hazards in the form of lead dust, chipping lead paint, and some sources of water contaminated with lead. 

Meeting another one of our demands, MHD released the full order with required timelines for all remediation work.

The following day MHD held a press conference going over the full assessment in detail and calling for changes to MPS' lead paint safety program and their treatment of water.  MPS Facilities Management held a press conference this day as well, continuing to state that they made their yearly inspections of Golda Meir in compliance with their Lead Paint Safety Program.  However, MHD has stated it is clear that MPS has not been following their Lead Paint Safety Program.

On February 14th, MHD released a letter to Golda Meir parents indicating that 12 dust wipe samples had been taken as an interim assessment of the progress that has been made in reducing the lead hazards in the school.  Two of the 12 wipe samples failed lead health standards.  Put another way, 17% of the limited samples (12 as compared to 125 in the initial assessment) failed to meet health minimums.

During a press conference on February 21st, MHD indicated that the "final clearance" on Golda Meir was scheduled to be completed on 2-22-25.  We have not yet received any update on the "final clearance."

Kagel Elementary 

On February 6th (in the same letter referenced earlier) MHD revealed concerning levels of lead found in Kagel Elementary after completing their lead safety assessment of the building.

On February 12th MHD released the full lead risk assessment report for Kagel as well as the water report for the school.  On February 13th, MHD held a press conference in which they stated that the source a student's lead poisoning was a classroom in this school.

On March 12th, parents received an email that stated, "We are pleased to share that the City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) has completed a clearance check at Kagel School, and the school has passed. This means that lead dust levels meet safety standards, and no further remediation is required at this time.  Moving forward, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) will continue enhanced cleaning and maintenance protocols throughout the building to ensure the school remains safe for students and staff. MHD will remain engaged to support MPS in upholding safety standards. MPS will also work to ensure students and staff only drink from filtered water stations."  However, we have learned that MHD is using old EPA dust hazard thresholds and thus we do not know if the building is "safe" according to the new rule which states that ANY detectable amount of lead dust is a hazard. We do not have the final clearance assessment for Kagel.

Maryland Avenue Montessori (MAM)

MAM was identified in the February 6th MHD letter as having a "strong potential presence of deteriorated lead paint".  MHD confirmed they had been following the case of a lead poisoned child and would be completing a full lead risk assessment of the building to see if the source could be traced back to the school.  The lead risk assessment was  completed by MHD on February 15th.  

The lead risk assessment for MAM was released to the public and is available here.  We have learned that MHD is using old EPA dust hazard thresholds and thus MHD interprets many of the readings as "not a lead hazard"; however, interpreting this data with the new EPA rule that any reportable amount of lead dust is a hazard means that most surfaces in this building would be considered a lead hazard.

On March 12th, MHD sent MAM families and email indicating that progress had been made at the school.  However, they noted that one area "failed" the most recent assessment.  We do not have the actual data for the final clearance.  

No water results have been released for MAM.  MHD did not collect soil samples even though there is a garden at the school.

Trowbridge Street School of Great Lakes Studies

Trowbridge's lead risk assessment was completed on 2-22-25 according to the MHD during the February 21st press conference.  MHD decided to close the school starting on March 3rd to allow for remediation without children present. 

The lead risk assessment was released to the public as well as lead-in-water results.  The lead risk assessment showed widespread lead dust hazards, chipping paint, and lead-in-water levels above 1 parts per billion in 14 water sources.  EPA has suggested 0 lead in drinking water is safe.  Several of the elevated samples were from KITCHEN SINKS.

Trowbridge re-opened on March 14th.

Starms Early Childhood Center

On March 13th MHD announced that Starms would close temporarily due to their visual inspection of the school and suspicion of lead hazards.  The school is set to close on March 17th.

Fernwood Montessori

On March 13th MHD announced that Fernwood would close temporarily due to their visual inspection of the school and suspicion of lead hazards.  The school is set to close on March 17th.

LaFollette School

On March 13th MHD announced that LaFollette would close temporarily due to their visual inspection of the school and suspicion of lead hazards.  The school is set to close on March 17th.

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All MPS families, staff, and community members should demand safe schools for our children and our community.  We need to understand what went wrong, what needs to improve, and demand that we be included in assessment an implementation of lead safety protocols in our communities.

We are demanding that MHD:

1. Release to the public the full reports of environmental assessments at all schools where there were lead-related concerns.  This demand is currently being met.  We expect MHD will continue to release lead risk assessment reports from further identified schools as they come in.
2. Release to the public the lead-in-water testing results completed at schools undergoing lead risk assessments.  This demand is currently being met.  We expect MHD will continue to release lead-in-water reports from further identified schools as they come in.
3. Release to the public the full set of recommendations made to MPS.  This demand is being met.  We expect MHD will continue to release their orders to all future schools.
4. Release to the public a detailed plan for alerting MPS and the public about public health issues in our schools.  This demand has not been met.  While MHD continues to communicate with the public and families through letters and press conferences, the plan for communication has not been spelled out.
5. MHD will include Spanish interpretation of all press conferences, reports, orders, and letters.  This demand is partially being met.  MHD is translating some material.
6. MHD will develop a SCHOOL LEAD SAFETY program to preventatively identify risks to public school staff and students' health. This demand is not being met.
7. MHD will include important stakeholders such as community members, parents, and MPS staff in their school-related procedures and decision making.  This demand is not being met.
8. MHD will complete lead risk assessments on all MPS buildings built before 1978.  MHD will test water at all MPS schools.  This demand is partially being met. MHD is visually inspecting some schools.

We are demanding that MPS:

1. Release to the public a written plan of action and timeline for each school that had significant findings related to lead.  Specific remediation steps and dates for completion should be discussed.  MPS has not yet met this demand.
2. Release to the public a written plan for assessment of those schools that use buildings where there is likely to be threats of lead in the environment.  MPS has not yet met this demand.
3. Release to the public the education, training, and certification of all personnel responsible for lead assessment, containment, and remediation efforts.  MPS has not yet met this demand.
4. Release to the public details about the water filtration systems in schools, their maintenance schedule, and the education and training of all personnel responsible for maintenance and testing of the schools' water. MPS has partially met this demand.  On February 21st they released a "Lead Report" that gives some details on the water filtration that is used in some schools.  The education and training of the personnel responsible for maintenance of these filters are not mentioned.
5. Test all MPS schools' water for lead.  The last full scale testing of MPS' water supplies were in 2016.  These findings need to be released to the public. MPS has not yet met this demand.
6. Release to the public a detailed plan to increase timely communication between Central Office and individual schools in cases where public health is impacted. MPS has not yet met this demand.
7. Release to the public a report on the maintenance of school buildings.  A report of when maintenance was performed, such as painting of walls or previous lead abatement should be provided with dates. MPS has not yet met this demand.
8. Release a report of the yearly inspections for all schools over the last 10 years.  This report should include the name of the inspector and date of the inspection.  MPS has not yet met this demand.
9. All faucets with no filters should have NSF certified for lead removal filters installed.  It is not good enough to assume children will not drink out of sinks unintended to provide drinkable water. MPS has not yet met this demand.
10.  Release in writing a revised plan for its Lead Paint Safety Program that takes into account the failures surfacing at many MPS schools.  MPS has not yet met this demand. 
11.  MPS will include important stakeholders such as community members, parents, and MPS staff in their lead-related procedures and decision making. MPS has not yet met this demand.
12. MPS states that, "Recently, there have been inquiries regarding the drinking water at MPS. We would like to reassure our community that drinking water sources in MPS are free from lead."  Unfortunately, this is misleading as water sources in some kitchen and handwashing sinks have been found to have high levels of lead in both Golda Meir, Trowbridge, and Kagel Elementary thus far.  MPS should release a more accurate statement to replace the misleading information (see demand #9 above regarding filter placement at all faucets). MPS has not yet met this demand.

Please sign this petition to add your voice to the chorus of those demanding accountability for city and school officials and safety for our community.

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You can get involved by contacting Lead-Safe Schools MKE at www.leadsafeschoolsMKE.com or emailing leadsafeschoolsMKE@gmail.com.

 

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ESTA PETICIÓN SE HA ACTUALIZADO PARA INCLUIR INFORMACIÓN A MEDIDA QUE LLEGUE CON RESPECTO A LA EMERGENCIA POR PLOMO EN MPS. Los datos se desglosan por escuela y se proporcionan en orden cronológico.

CAMPUS INFERIOR DE GOLDA MEIR

El 13 de enero, los padres de la escuela Golda Meir recibieron un correo electrónico del Departamento de Salud de la Ciudad de Milwaukee (MHD) y MPS notificando a las familias sobre un caso de envenenamiento por plomo que fue causado por peligros de plomo en el entorno escolar. Las instalaciones de MPS trabajaron con MHD para realizar una inspección visual inicial el 10 de enero, momento en el que se ubicó la pintura desconchada como una fuente potencial de exposición al plomo. Los esfuerzos de remediación se llevaron a cabo en el baño el fin de semana siguiente. Sin embargo, no fue hasta el 13 de enero que se informó a las familias de que había algún problema. Los padres se reunieron con los funcionarios de la escuela a la mañana siguiente, incluido el personal de administración de las instalaciones.  En esta reunión, los padres presionaron para que se hiciera una evaluación exhaustiva del edificio y se les entregara una copia de todos los hallazgos del MHD. Se les dijo a los padres que el EDIFICIO ERA SEGURO para que los estudiantes lo ocuparan según la información proporcionada por el MHD.

El 6 de febrero, varias organizaciones de noticias publicaron una carta del MHD enviada al Distrito de MPS y a la junta escolar indicando los hallazgos de las evaluaciones ambientales del MHD de varias escuelas de MPS. El MHD y la ciudad de Milwaukee celebraron una conferencia de prensa ese mismo día para revelar estos hallazgos. Todo esto se llevó a cabo sin notificar primero a las escuelas y las familias afectadas.

La noche del 6 de febrero, los padres de MPS recibieron un correo electrónico del MHD que revelaba algunos de los hallazgos de las evaluaciones ambientales.  En esa carta, el Departamento de Salud de la Ciudad de Milwaukee hizo la siguiente declaración: "El Departamento de Salud de la Ciudad de Milwaukee (MHD) ha identificado niveles peligrosos de contaminación con plomo en varios edificios de las Escuelas Públicas de Milwaukee (MPS). Estos hallazgos, descubiertos a través de investigaciones de casos independientes realizadas por nuestro Programa de Prevención del Envenenamiento por Plomo Infantil (CLPPP), en consulta con el Departamento de Servicios de Salud de Wisconsin (DHS), confirman los peligros del plomo dentro de los edificios de MPS que exceden los estándares de seguridad estatales. Como autoridad de salud pública de la ciudad, debemos informarle que estos hallazgos plantean un riesgo inmediato y continuo para la salud y la seguridad de los estudiantes y el personal". Esta declaración contradecía directamente las declaraciones realizadas en la conferencia de prensa, que indicaban que las escuelas eran seguras para su uso debido a los procedimientos de limpieza.

El 7 de febrero, los padres de la escuela Golda Meir recibieron una comunicación de MPS indicando que "el Departamento de Salud de Milwaukee se ha comunicado con las Escuelas Públicas de Milwaukee y les ha asegurado que nuestros edificios son seguros para que los estudiantes sigan asistiendo a clases en estos edificios, y que las escuelas permanecerán abiertas".

El 11 de febrero, en cumplimiento de una de nuestras demandas, MHD publicó el informe completo de evaluación de riesgo de plomo para Golda Meir, incluido un informe separado de plomo en el agua. Los hallazgos fueron impactantes. Todo el edificio estaba lleno de graves peligros de plomo en forma de polvo de plomo, pintura con plomo descascarada y algunas fuentes de agua contaminadas con plomo.

En cumplimiento de otra de nuestras demandas, MHD publicó la orden completa con los plazos requeridos para todo el trabajo de remediación.

Al día siguiente, MHD realizó una conferencia de prensa en la que repasó en detalle la evaluación completa y pidió cambios en el programa de seguridad de pintura con plomo de MPS y su tratamiento del agua. La Administración de Instalaciones de MPS también realizó una conferencia de prensa ese día, y continuó afirmando que hicieron sus inspecciones anuales de Golda Meir de conformidad con su Programa de Seguridad de Pintura con Plomo. Sin embargo, MHD ha declarado que está claro que MPS no ha estado siguiendo su Programa de Seguridad de Pintura con Plomo.

El 14 de febrero, MHD envió una carta a los padres de Golda Meir indicando que se habían tomado 12 muestras de polvo con toallitas como una evaluación provisional del progreso que se ha logrado en la reducción de los peligros del plomo en la escuela. Dos de las 12 muestras de toallitas no cumplieron con los estándares de salud del plomo. Dicho de otra manera, el 17% de las muestras limitadas (12 en comparación con las 125 de la evaluación inicial) no cumplieron con los mínimos de salud.
Durante una conferencia de prensa el 21 de febrero, MHD indicó que la "autorización final" en Golda Meir estaba programada para completarse el 22 de febrero de 2025.

Escuela primaria Kagel

El 6 de febrero (en la misma carta a la que se hizo referencia anteriormente), MHD reveló niveles preocupantes de plomo encontrados en la escuela primaria Kagel después de completar su evaluación de seguridad del plomo en el edificio.

El 12 de febrero, MHD publicó el informe completo de evaluación de riesgo de plomo para Kagel, así como el informe del agua para la escuela. El 13 de febrero, MHD realizó una conferencia de prensa en la que declaró que la fuente del envenenamiento por plomo de un estudiante fue un aula en esta escuela.

Maryland Avenue Montessori (MAM)

MAM fue identificada en la carta del 6 de febrero de MHD como una escuela con una "fuerte presencia potencial de pintura con plomo deteriorada".  El MHD confirmó que habían estado siguiendo el caso de un niño envenenado con plomo y que completarían una evaluación completa del riesgo de plomo en el edificio para ver si la fuente podía rastrearse hasta la escuela. El MHD completó la evaluación del riesgo de plomo el 15 de febrero. Los resultados de la evaluación están programados para publicarse la semana del 23 de febrero.

Trowbridge Street School of Great Lakes Studies

La evaluación del riesgo de plomo de Trowbridge se completó el 22 de febrero de 2025 según el MHD durante la conferencia de prensa del 21 de febrero. Esperamos que los resultados se publiquen en algún momento de la semana del 23 de febrero. El MHD ha dicho que ve señales preocupantes y puede considerar cerrar temporalmente las aulas o la escuela para permitir una remediación acelerada del plomo.

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Todas las familias, el personal y los miembros de la comunidad de MPS deben exigir escuelas seguras para nuestros niños y nuestra comunidad.  Necesitamos entender qué salió mal, qué debe mejorarse y exigir que se nos incluya en la evaluación e implementación de protocolos de seguridad del plomo en nuestras comunidades. 

Público sobre problemas de salud pública en nuestras escuelas. Esta demanda no se ha cumplido. Si bien MHD continúa comunicándose con el público y las familias a través de cartas y conferencias de prensa, el plan de comunicación no se ha explicado.  MHD incluirá interpretación al español de todas las conferencias de prensa, informes, órdenes y cartas. Esta demanda no se está cumpliendo.

MHD desarrollará un programa de SEGURIDAD ESCOLAR CON PLOMO para identificar de manera preventiva los riesgos para la salud del personal y los estudiantes de las escuelas públicas. Esta demanda no se está cumpliendo.

MHD incluirá a partes interesadas importantes, como miembros de la comunidad, padres y personal de MPS, en sus procedimientos y toma de decisiones relacionados con la escuela. Esta demanda no se está cumpliendo.

AGREGADO: MHD completará evaluaciones de riesgo de plomo en todos los edificios de MPS construidos antes de 1978. MHD analizará el agua en todas las escuelas de MPS. MHD está discutiendo actualmente un plan a largo plazo para analizar más escuelas.  MPS ha dicho que planea priorizar las aulas y escuelas K-3.

Elemental hasta ahora. MPS debería publicar una declaración más precisa para reemplazar la información engañosa (ver demanda n.° 9 anterior con respecto a la ubicación del filtro en todos los grifos).

Puede participar comunicándose con Lead-Safe Schools MKE en www.leadsafeschoolsMKE.com o enviando un correo electrónico a leadsafeschoolsMKE@gmail.com.Firme esta petición para sumar su voz al coro de quienes exigen responsabilidades de los funcionarios municipales y escolares y seguridad para nuestra comunidad.