Milwaukee School Crisis

Is the Milwaukee Schools lead crisis the next "Flint"? 

Milwaukee Schools Crisis is a slow moving train wreck

• Local authorities seem unable to coordinate testing the schools and the children. Who is in charge? 

• Parents believe they are not getting answers from local officials. 

• Some are beginning to ask: "Hundreds of thousands of kids over the years, so how many kids have suffered ill effects from this and what impact does that have on our communities?"

March 2025

March 1, 2025 FOX6 News Milwaukee MPS lead exposure: Parents express concerns, educate community "On Saturday, the parent-led group Lead Safe Schools MKE held an assembly to educate the community on the issue and express concerns. Cameras were not allowed inside, but those who attended told FOX6 News the information was eye-opening. Some parents said they're still wondering how lead levels in certain MPS schools got so high, and how it took so long to address the problems. 'The only thing that surprised me is that we’re just now getting to the bottom of this, and I think that’s a huge concern,' said MPS parent Ron Jansen. 'Hundreds of thousands of kids over the years, so how many kids have suffered ill effects from this and what impact does that have on our communities?' he added. 'I’m really, really frustrated by the city government's response so far.' "

March 1, 2025 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Group demands more transparency and accountability from MPS over dangerous lead levels in schools " 'Our end goal is to prevent any children from being lead poisoned at school. It is a ridiculous thing to say out loud,' said Kristen Payne of Lead-Safe Schools MKE and whose child is a third grader at Golda Meir Lower Campus, which serves students in grades three through five." Here's an update MPS's Trowbridge will not reopen Monday to allow more time to remove lead hazards

Mar 01, 2025. TMJ4.com  Parents mobilize to voice concerns about lead in Milwaukee Public Schools "Parents are urging the school board and city health department to act quickly. 'You have the power. This is our city, these are our schools, paid for by our dollars, and we should have a say in what happens and how they’re run,' Jansen said. Organizers plan to hold additional meetings across the city to reach more parents and advocate for change."

Mar 3, 2025. WISN Trowbridge students start at new school after lead dangers detected. "More than 200 Milwaukee Public Schools students and staff members are starting the school week at a different building. Milwaukee's health department shut down Trowbridge School in Bay View due to dangerously high lead levels, moving classes 5 miles away to the Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning. WISN 12 News was there as parents dropped off kids for their first day of school at the new building around 7 a.m. Monday. A lead-poisoned student prompted the health department to test Trowbridge last month." Here's an update MPS elementary school to remain temporarily closed due to lead hazards Milwaukee Public Schools said several areas of concern in the school will be deep-cleaned again on March 10.

Mar 5, 2025. CBS58. MPH to announce children's lead testing clinic soon, no reopen date for Trowbridge School yet  "On Wednesday, March 5, the Milwaukee Health Department announced lead testing clinics will start soon for students who attend the four MPS schools that have tested positive for dangerous levels of lead. The department also unveiled a timeline for when MPS must address issues at the currently closed Trowbridge School. Also Wednesday, there was a call with federal health authorities about expanding testing to every school in the district. At the health department's monthly meeting, Milwaukee Health Commissioner Mike Totoraitis said, 'It's a high number of children that are at high risk.' "

February 2025

• FEBRUARY 24, 2025. Milwaukee Health Department may shut down city schools due to high levels of lead. "Gov. Tony Evers’ proposed budget, which was released last Tuesday, also mentions the issue. He is proposing funding for lead hazard investigations. 'Failure to act swiftly and effectively will place children at serious risk of lead poisoning, developmental delays, and other possible health complications,' the budget brief said. When asked about the situation last week, he said the issue at MPS is 'unbelievably bad. I mean … this should have been taken care of years ago,' Evers said." 

• February 17, 2025 Milwaukee Neighborhood News. Opinion: MPS failed to keep our kids safe. And we should all be concerned. "In the end, this is a racial justice issue, an environmental justice issue, a public health emergency, a working-class issue and a moral issue. I am a parent of a third grader at Golda Meir and have volunteered many hours of my time at both Gola Meir and Parkside School for the Arts.  I take my role as a parent and a community member seriously. I believe it is our individual and collective responsibility to make our communities safe, caring, and functional places for us all to live and thrive. It’s why I sprung into action when I was first alerted to the lead issues in my child’s school. It's why I worked with other parents to form Lead Safe Schools MKE to lead the charge on parents addressing the lead emergency in MPS. We have created an online petition to encourage community members and parents to voice their concerns and make demands of the Milwaukee Health Department and MPS.  So far, we have been able to secure several victories, including the public release of the lead-risk assessments for all schools assessed as well as the public release of the health department’s remediation orders with timelines.  But we need your help. We have lots to do!"

• Feb 21, 2025. WISN MPS lead dangers: What schools will be inspected next? "The school district said on Friday, it plans to expand its lead inspection efforts. A lead-poisoned student has prompted health officials to test another Milwaukee Public School building. This time, it's Trowbridge Street School in the Bay View neighborhood. It's the fourth MPS school with either confirmed or possible lead contamination. Health officials have already confirmed lead dangers in Golda Meir's lower campus and Kagel School. Results from Maryland Avenue Montessori's lead risk assessment are pending. Right now, Milwaukee's health department said it only has the resources to test schools with lead-poisoned students. That's why they've tested the school they have. But they've expressed concerns that any MPS building pre-dating 1978, which is a majority of them, could have lead hazards." More here: Answering questions on lead poisoning, MPS official points to staffing and budget issues

• Feb 14, 2025 WISN Milwaukee health officials planning pop-up lead testing clinics for students It comes as the health department discovered dangerous levels of lead inside multiple MPS buildings. "Two lead-poisoned students prompted health officials to test Kagel School and Golda Meir's Lower Campus. The health department released the schools' lead risk assessments this week. It shows elevated lead levels inside both schools, which is why officials want to hold pop-up clinics to get more students tested for lead poisoning. 'Once we have the site identified, we will get the consents out to the parents at the schools that we're already in,' Milwaukee Health Commissioner Michael Totoraitis said. 'Then we will continue to have the broader conversation of how we will do additional testing sites for the broader community of MPS  students.' "

• February 13, 2025 Milwaukee Neighborhood News Lead hazards pose ‘immediate and ongoing risk’ at Kagel Elementary, Health Department says. "The Milwaukee Health Department has found lead levels at Kagel Elementary School up to 72 times higher than thresholds set by the state Department of Health Services. A lead risk assessment conducted by the Milwaukee Health Department has found hazardous levels of lead paint and lead dust alongside elevated lead levels in water taps at Kagel Elementary School, 1210 W. Mineral St. 'There are unsafe levels of lead,' said Tyler Weber, deputy health commissioner at the Milwaukee Health Department. 'We need to take all the actions we can to reduce lead exposure.' ”

• February 12, 2025. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Health department orders MPS to correct lead hazards at a second school

• Feb. 11, 2025. Spectrum News. Milwaukee Health Department releases Golda Meir lead risk assessment "There are dangerous levels of lead contamination in several Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) buildings, according to the Milwaukee Health Department (MHD)."

• Why is this a CLASH Story? CMSD lead issues have been ignored for years. The MSD "case" should become a case study for other communities in addressing a lead crisis.

The Milwaukee School Saga last week's news.

• Feb 7, 2025 WISN MPS lead dangers: Will more schools be tested?. "WISN 12 News asked the city if any other schools will be inspected. 'We will test more if there are lead-poisoned children,' Milwaukee Health Department Commissioner Michael Totoraitis said. 'We go through the step of initially investigating the primary residence and a caregiver residence or any affiliated residence with that child. And after we exhaust those options, then we'd pursue an MPS school in that case.' " Using the kids as canaries in the coal mine.

• Feb 10, 2025 Parents petition for transparency after ‘significant’ lead exposure at MPS schools "Parents at Golda Meir School are demanding transparency from the Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) and Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) after tests confirmed elevated lead levels in school buildings. A petition with over 100 signatures as of Sunday night calls for the full release of environmental assessment results, stating that families deserve full access to the findings." Read more here. And here. 

• February 11, 2025 FOX6 News MPS lead exposure, toxic dust levels at 1 school 'scary to see'

• February 11, 2025 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel  4th MPS student possibly lead poisoned at school; report on Golda Meir released

• February 11, 2025  CBS58. Golda Meir at risk of closing down if MPS fails to address lead hazards

• February 13, 2025. CBS58. Milwaukee Health Dept needs help testing MPS schools for lead after hazardous levels found at Kagel Elementary

• February 13, 2025. WTMJ. Second lead report reveals high levels of lead at Kagel School

• February 13, 2025 WISN. Milwaukee Health Department releases Kagel School's lead report

Around Us-Milwaukee School crisis week of Feb 2nd

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Dangerous levels of lead found in more schools. Health department warns MPS to improve monitoring and control of lead hazards. "Just weeks after the Milwaukee Health Department said a Milwaukee Public Schools student had been lead poisoned at school, the city agency on Wednesday sent a letter to the district saying dangerous levels of lead contamination had been found in 'multiple' MPS buildings. 'Failure to act swiftly and effectively will place children at serious risk of lead poisoning, developmental delays, and other possible health complications,' Health Commissioner Michael Totoraitis wrote in the letter addressed to interim Superintendent Eduardo Galvan and Board Clerk Tina Owen-Moore. The lead hazards inside MPS buildings exceed state safety standards and were discovered through separate case investigations, he wrote. During a news conference Thursday, Totoraitis confirmed that another MPS child has tested positive for elevated levels of lead, bringing the total to two." 

  • Milwaukee schools 'significant' lead exposure issues; what we know

  • 'Dangerous levels' of lead identified in multiple MPS schools

  • Parents voice concerns over ‘significant’ lead exposure at MPS schools

• February 6, 2025 Up North News. Free lead testing in Milwaukee: What you need to know. "For families concerned about testing costs, several options exist. BadgerCare Plus members can access free lead testing, with coverage extending to children in families earning up to 300% of the poverty level. Additionally, the MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary and Coalition on Lead Emergency offer free monthly testing clinics with incentives including stuffed animals for children and gift cards for families."