'It's sounding an alarm:' Milwaukee petition demands transparency from MPS, MHD after students test positive for lead

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A new petition with hundreds of signatures is demanding answers from Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) and the Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) after two students recently tested positive for high levels of lead in their blood.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are no safe levels of lead in children.

The petition calls on MPS to publicly release multiple written plans of action for affected schools and to test the water for all buildings.

It also asks MHD to publicly release all environmental assessments, recommendations for MPS, and lead-in-water test results.

“It’s more than getting attention. It’s sounding an alarm to all of us," said Robert Miranda, an activist with the Get the Lead Out coalition. "This situation is a mess."

In a press conference last week, MPS officials said they can assume that lead is in every Milwaukee building built prior to 1978.

Eighty-five percent of MPS-owned buildings were built before 1970.

"This is really concerning to the parents and to us, as an organization in this community," Miranda said. “There is no reason why parents at those schools should be wondering about their children’s safety. Especially when it comes to their environment at the school.”

A spokesperson for the health department confirmed they will release their lead risk assessments for each inspected MPS facility, starting with the Golda Meir lower campus assessment on Feb. 11. They sent CBS 58 this statement, which reads in full:

The City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) remains committed to ensuring the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff in Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). To maintain safe facilities, MPS must fully adhere to MHD’s directives on lead hazard cleaning, remediation, and abatement. MHD continues to assess schools and support the MPS facilities team to ensure compliance with these directives. If MHD determines that MPS is not following its safety measure directives, MHD will explore additional enforcement actions as necessary.

CBS 58 reached out to MPS for comment on the petition, but did not hear back by deadline.