At virtual town hall on MPS lead crisis, parents vent frustration despite district's reassurances

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- On Thursday night, April 10, MPS parents got to ask officials from the school district and the health department about the lead crisis that has disrupted thousands of families for months.

Many people used the virtual town hall to vent concerns about their children's safety and the way the lead remediation effort has been handled.

Some people were understanding, others were angry, many were a mixture of both.

Three MPS schools -Fernwood Montessori, Starms, and LaFollette- have been closed for four weeks now, and there is no end in sight for when they'll be safe again for students.

Fernwood parent Pat Mooney said during the town hall, "So, again, we're going on four weeks of 'just wait it out.'"

Montessori parent Janice Summers said, "I'm just really baffled, I think a lot of parents are."

And Fernwood parent Anya Preobrazhenskaya said, "It has been so disruptive; it has been so difficult on families."

Parent after parent voiced frustration with MPS's response to a lead crisis that has impacted their families for weeks.

Fernwood parent Lisa Lucas said, "Where is the timeline when schools are going to reopen? Why have you been so secretive about it?"

Right now, there is no target date for when displaced students could return to three schools deemed too dangerous to occupy.

MPS Superintendent Dr. Brenda Cassellius said that's because of the size and scope of the problems. She said during the town hall, "I walked Fernwood myself. There were cracks everywhere in the walls. And microcracks. And so that all had to be plastered."

Complicating the issue was some lead remediation work in Fernwood was done improperly, further delaying the timeline there.

Interim Deputy Superintendent Eduardo Galvan said, "We're kind of learning this together. So, we didn't want to over-promise and under-deliver. Get people's hopes up."

But many parents interpreted the district's reassurances as delays and uncertainty.

Casey Twanow said, "I know we all feel like it was such a betrayal of our students and our teachers who we're asking to do this hard job every day."

So far $1.9 million has been spent to clean seven schools and counting. Several people asked how the district is paying for the remediation.

Cassellius said, "The district's budget will take care of this lead remediation," adding, "It will not be the responsibility of the school for this lead remediation."

As remediation continues at several schools, the health department is helping MPS craft a lead action plan.

Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Totoraitis said, "These decisions to close the schools are not easy to make."

Cassellius said she hopes to find other revenue to help pay for remediation efforts, including talking with state lawmakers.

But right now, the pot is only so big, she said, and paying for lead remediation pulls funds from elsewhere.