Milwaukee lead poisoning concerns in schools; new screening options

MILWAUKEE - More lead screenings are underway in Milwaukee. It is an effort to get as many Milwaukee Public Schools students checked for lead. 

More lead screenings

What we know:

The tables are set inside North Division High School cafeteria. They are ready to receive Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) students on Wednesday, May 7. 

FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android

A lead screening clinic will be held. Officials said they have the capacity to provide screenings for 300 students. 

The screening comes as MPS tackles the ongoing lead crisis at the district's schools. Most recently Westside Academy was added to the list of schools closed. Later in May, Brown Street Academy will be added to the list of of schools that will be shut down for cleaning. 

What they're saying:

"With the contractors that they are bringing on board, it's becoming more systematic, and we believe they will be able to scale up and do work more quickly. So
we hope to see progress more swiftly and urgently," said Tyler Weber, Milwaukee Deputy Commissioner of Environmental Health.

Weber said MPS is working with the Wisconsin health department after the CDC denied a request for help. 

Tyler Weber

"It would've been significantly helpful if we had the team or a handful a team from the CDC to help us. We can still work with the state, but we are having to make a lot of decisions on our own that are new to us," Weber said. 

The screening process

Dig deeper:

During a walk-through on Tuesday, May 6, FOX6 News was able to get a look at the lead kits that will be used for screening. The Milwaukee Health Department says the screening process will involve registration, testing and education. 

"The most important piece besides remediating the lead hazards as best we can as quickly as we can is getting everyone tested," Weber said. 

What's next:

As of May 6, MPS officials said a total of six schools have been closed. The plan is to inspect about 100 buildings that were built before 1978 – all before the end of 2025. 

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

To date, lead cleaning work has already cost the district roughly $2 million.

Statement from Lead Safe Schools MKE

What they're saying:

"Testing our kids for lead poisoning is so important, and it’s also not nearly enough. Right now, the burden is still on families to make it to pop-up testing clinics instead of conveniently providing reliable venous testing directly in schools. And until the district, city and state work proactively to address root causes of lead exposure, these testing clinics will be more performative than proactive. They should be focused on creating meaningful change to prevent kids from being exposed to lead in the first place."

"We continue to urge MPS, the city of Milwaukee, and the state legislature to treat this like the public health emergency that it is, and dedicate resources for all of Milwaukee’s kids to have clean water, soil, and schools."