Frustration persists for MPS families as lead answers are hard to come by

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Frustration continues for MPS families desperate for information on when their schools will be safe enough to reopen.

A day after a virtual town hall with school district and health department officials, some people are sharing their concerns over what they call a lack of clarity.

Families want answers about what lead containment work has been done, when will their schools reopen, and how much will it cost.

MPS is working on it but doesn't have all the answers yet.

That uncertain timeline is fueling concern.

Kristen Powell is a Golda Meir parent. She told us she is "Just really desperately wanting the information so maybe we could feel safer."

Powell isn't alone.

As the days and weeks progress, MPS families are forced to deal with more disruption and more uncertainty.

A lack of a timeline for reopening three closed schools was a key concern at Thursday's virtual town hall.

Superintendent Dr, Brenda Cassellius says she wants to be transparent, even when they don't have an answer.

She said Thursday, "So tonight we do not have updated information on when those buildings will definitively open."

Powell founded Lead-Safe Schools MKE, a grassroots group that wants more collaboration with the district.

Her child attends Golda Meir, the first school to be impacted.

She said, "Do I feel safe? No. I don't feel safe sending my child to school."

MPS is working with the Milwaukee Health Department on a lead action plan that will guide their response, but it's not known when that will be released.

Cassellius said Thursday, "With the plan, there will be inspections of all of our schools that were painted prior to 1978."

But the growing crisis is expected to impact more than 100 MPS schools.

The district assumes 133 buildings have lead contamination.

The health department says it takes crews of six to eight people about eight hours to inspect just one building.

And for now, it looks like they'll be doing it alone because of federal layoffs.

The CDC formally denied MHD's request for help, writing in an email, "due to the complete loss of our Lead Program, we will be unable to support you with this EpiAid request."

Among the objectives MHD wanted help with were developing a mass blood lead testing strategy for MPS and building a database for test results.

A health department spokesperson said now "The denial came shortly after the CDC eliminated its entire National Center for Environmental Health division — leaving no childhood lead subject matter experts in place to assist local health departments with complex environmental investigations like ours."

Funding is also a concern.

In the town hall, Cassellius said the district has spent $1.8 million so far on remediation efforts at the seven schools.

The cost at each has varied, but it divides out to $271,000 per school.

MPS and MHD assume 133 district buildings have lead contamination. If all of them require the same attention as the first seven, it would cost $34.2 million to clean them all.

The lead crisis is impacting the budget.

Interim Deputy Superintendent Eduardo Galvan said Thursday, "When we're talking about hiring another teacher, or having a program, or having another painter. Sometimes those are difficult decisions."

In response, Powell told us, "That's absolutely not a position that a public school should be put in."

MPS did not respond to requests to speak with superintendent Cassellius Friday.