Golda Meir at risk of closing down if MPS fails to address lead hazards

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- One Milwaukee public school may be at risk of closing if MPS fails to address lead hazards as quickly as possible.

The Milwaukee Health Department released its lead risk assessment report which is 139 pages. It’s the biggest project the department has ever done, and officials say one thing is clear – high lead levels at Golda Meir School could have been prevented if MPS kept up with cleaning standards.

“To the parents that are listening, please understand that our department takes this very seriously and will follow any lead poisoned child,” said Commissioner Mike Totoraitis with the Milwaukee Health Department.

If providing a safe learning environment is part of Milwaukee Public Schools' mission, the Milwaukee Health Department says it hasn’t achieved a passing grade.

“It’s hard to get this level of lead and dust wipe samples if you have good lead safety practices,” said Tyler Weber, the deputy commissioner of environmental health. “We’ll see if our investigations take us to more schools.”

We spoke with MPS officials Tuesday about the concerns.

They told us the district started addressing the issues immediately after they were notified.

But making the entire building lead-safe will take time, and MPS could not say when the building will be clean.

Sean Kane, MPS' Senior Director for Facilities & Maintenance Services, said, "Once we found out, we addressed this immediately. Because, again, we treat these matters very seriously."

MPS is working with lead paint renovators and certified restoration contractors to deep clean Golda Meir's lower campus building, which is 135 years old.

Kane said they're headed in the right direction, and closing the school is not being considered. "Again, according to even the Health Department, the buildings are deemed safe to attend school."

In November, a student at Golda Meir had high levels of lead in their blood. In the lead risk assessment report, the department found all floors, windowsills, bathrooms, and walls of the school are considered lead hazards.

“For Golda Meir, this was a massive project. Probably the biggest lead risk inspection we’ve ever done,” said Weber.

MPS policy calls for annual inspections, but Kane said those are essentially visual checks for chipping paint.

But there's a lot of chipping paint that wasn't addressed, and now it will require thorough and certified cleanup.

"Part of what needs to be done is use HEPA vacs, you're using wet wipes, you're using disposable cloth," Kane said.

At student pickup Tuesday, dozens of parents told us off camera they're concerned for their children's safety.

A family member of one of the sick students said that child is better now and back in class.

But it’s not the only case. A second student tested positive for lead poisoning at Kagel Elementary.

Officials are waiting for confirmation on two other cases.

“In the Maryland and the Trowbridge, we’re waiting for those results,” said Weber.

Health Department officials say as long as MPS cleans the building as quickly as possible, lead levels will go down.

If MPS doesn’t, officials are speaking with the city attorney to potentially close the school.

“We hope the actions we see, we won’t have to go that route, but we need to be able to see what our authority is,” said Weber.

As for parents, the health department says the best way to keep your child safe is to minimize the spread of lead dust.

“Simple things like cleaning their hands before they’re eating and obviously washing their hands when they come home,” said Totoraitis.

For now, MPS said it's working around the clock to clean Golda Meir.

The Health Department's first deadline is next Thursday, but Kane could not say when they'd be finished ridding the school of lead. "You have to take a look at square footage, amount of people, and also just the materials that you're working with."

The Health Department will retest Golda Meir later this week to see if those lead levels have gone down.