Milwaukee City Wire

Golda Meir Lower Campus and Maryland Avenue Montessori School have successfully passed their final clearance checks conducted by the Milwaukee Health Department. The department confirmed that lead dust levels at both schools meet safety standards, eliminating the need for further remediation. Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) will continue enhanced cleaning protocols to ensure ongoing safety.

The health department and MPS are collaborating to assess and address lead hazards in school buildings across the district. They are working on a rolling inspection schedule to systematically evaluate schools.

On March 15, a free lead-screening clinic was held at Bradley Tech High School by the health department, MPS, Children’s Wisconsin, and Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers. A total of 249 children were screened for lead exposure. The health department cannot disclose specific data below certain thresholds to protect privacy but confirmed that only a small number of children tested above the CDC's reference value of 3.5 micrograms per deciliter of blood; some do not attend MPS schools.

These cases did not require nursing case management from the health department. Of those screened, 91% were from originally affected schools including Golda Meir Lower Campus, Kagel, Maryland Avenue Montessori, Trowbridge, Starms Early Childhood Center, Fernwood, and LaFollette. Additionally, 94% attend MPS schools.

Families unable to attend this screening are encouraged to visit additional free pop-up clinics in upcoming weeks. Information on future screenings is available at www.milwaukee.gov/MPS-Lead and mpsmke.com/mpsleadreport.