Milwaukee Public Schools closes two more buildings due to lead contamination

Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) announced the closure of two school buildings, Brown Street Academy and Westside Academy, due to elevated lead levels.

“This continues to be a really challenging time for our city and for the parents here in Milwaukee,” Milwaukee Health Commissioner Mike Totoraitis said.

These closures are part of the district’s broader lead remediation efforts outlined in the newly released lead action plan.

Students will relocate to Andrew S. Douglas Middle School, with Westside Academy students moving on May 5 and Brown Street Academy students on May 12.

The Milwaukee Health Department shared visual assessments from both schools, revealing the more severe situation at Westside Academy. Investigators found that more than half of the surface areas were deteriorated, uncleaned or unsafe.

Photos the health department took inside the Westside Academy last month show chipping and peeling paint in classrooms and dust and paint chip debris within reach of children.

“From what you’re seeing in the schools, is it possible that these dangers have been there for months? Years?” WISN 12 News reporter Kendall Keys asked.

“Yeah, unfortunately. As we spoke to in earlier press conferences, going back into January, the level of degradation didn’t happen overnight. It could have been years of paint degradation,” Totoraitis said.

The district released its lead action plan, created by MPS and approved by the Milwaukee Health Department, which provides a comprehensive roadmap to addressing lead contamination in school buildings.

The plan includes visual inspections and environmental sampling in schools built before 1978, enhanced environmental controls in high-risk areas, temporary relocations when necessary, expanded blood lead testing, and improved communication with families.

MPS Superintendent Dr. Brenda Cassellius said that more than 100 MPS buildings were constructed before 1978, the year lead-based paint was banned in the U.S.

Of these, 54 schools built before 1950 are prioritized for remediation, with cleanup expected to be completed by the start of the next school year. An additional 52 schools built between 1950 and 1978 are expected to be cleared by the end of the calendar year.

Schools built after 1978 are not affected by lead paint concerns.

To date, MPS has spent nearly $2-million on lead remediation, with costs covered by the district rather than individual schools. The district is also collaborating with community health partners to provide blood lead testing for students, including a large screening clinic scheduled for May 7 at North Division High School.

However, investigations continue in some cases to determine the source of lead exposure, whether from schools, homes or other locations.

Cassellius acknowledged the disruption caused by temporary relocations but stressed that starting remediation before the end of the school year allows the district to complete work ahead of the next academic year and address additional buildings over the summer.