MPS lead crisis; Sean Kane no longer serving as facilities director

MPS lead crisis; facilities director out

MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius announced a leadership change at Milwaukee Public Schools. Sean Kane is no longer serving as MPS' facilities and maintenance director.

MILWAUKEE - Officials with the Milwaukee Health Department, along with leaders from Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), discussed on Thursday, April 3 the current status of lead hazard response efforts in the district's schools.

MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius, Commissioner of Health Mike Totoraitis, Deputy Commissioner of MHD’s Home Environmental Health Division provided updates and answered questions.

Leadership changes

MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius announced a leadership change at Milwaukee Public Schools. Sean Kane is no longer serving as MPS' facilities and maintenance director.

What they're saying:

"Sean Kane, who has served as senior director of facilities and maintenance services, will no longer serve in the role and is separating from the district. I want to thank him for his 25 years of service to our district. I will immediately begin a search for a permanent replacement to lead the district," said MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius.

Lead in Milwaukee schools

The Milwaukee Health Department, along with MPS, provide an update on the lead crisis in Milwaukee schools on Thursday.

The change comes after health officials said Kane initially blocked them from going into one of the schools.

"That delayed our entry into the school to do the full letter assessment, which was published on our website and certainly delayed our ability to see other schools," said Totoraitis.

In the interim, Cassellius said Michael Mannan, the director of the Milwaukee Health Department's Home Environmental Health Division, is going to step in to support MPS full-time.

Lead in schools

What we know:

The Milwaukee Health Department recently identified seven schools with unsafe lead levels. Three remain closed. They are LaFollette, Starms Early Childhood Center and Fernwood Montessori. They will remain closed even after spring break, Weber said. Students are attending classes in other buildings.

"There's nothing, absolutely nothing, more important than the health and the well-being of kids in Milwaukee. And that's why you see this collaborative approach that's happening right now between the Milwaukee Public Schools as well as the City of Milwaukee's Health Department. We recognize that there are issues, and we are actively working to address those issues with keeping the health, and again, the well-being of kids at the forefront," said Mayor Cavalier Johnson.

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