MPS lead exposure; expert talks cleaning as 2 more schools to close
MPS lead exposure, expert talks cleaning
Milwaukee Public Schools brought in a city health department expert to help with lead dangers in schools.
MILWAUKEE - There is a push for answers about lead dangers in Milwaukee Public Schools.
What we know:
The school district is kicking off a special board meeting after it announced Brown Street Academy and Westside Academy will close for lead cleaning.
After an assessment, MPS decided to close the two schools in early May. Cleaning will begin at West Side Academy on May 5. On May 12, work will begin at Brown Street School.
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Students at Brown Street Academy and West Side Academy will relocate to Douglas Middle School as crews clean their schools.
Local perspective:
Michael Mannan works for the Milwaukee Health Department, but MPS brought him on to help with lead dangers in schools.
"We literally go through the entire school, room by room, and we decide what level of renovation," Mannan said. "You take a school like Brown, really old, turn of the century, 100 years old, lots of paint. What's the most cost-effective way to make the building safe for the longest period of time for the most amount of kids?"cts to clean 54 schools built before 1950 ahead of the next school year.
An additional 52 schools built between 1950 and 1978 are slated to be cleaned before the end of the calendar year.
"We've walked into a lot of schools that are not bad," Mannan said. "They're pretty good, and that's one of the reasons why they're delayed until later to do."
Mannan has more than 25 years of experience with code enforcement and lead risk assessment. With the health department, he’s pushed to make homes more lead-safe.
MPS lead plan: Milwaukee parents seek transparency, efforts continue
Milwaukee Public Schools will close two more schools in May as the district and health leaders continue to battle an ongoing lead crisis.
He admits schools are a different animal.
"So we have like, there's like a permanent solution, and then there's a temporary solution that's highly regulated by state code," he said. "So some of those interim solutions in those areas would be more enhanced cleaning, use of tacky mats to control dust, changes in practices with the children."
Mannan said he would like to see an emphasis on lead screening, so families can have this:
"Peace of mind. So they can now at least have the information to at least change their behaviors, practices, nutrition, or if it is their home," he said.
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What you can do:
Lead exposure in children can lead to developmental delays and learning difficulties.
Children’s Wisconsin is partnering with the Milwaukee Health Department and MPS to provide free lead testing for kids.
The clinic is from 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at North Division High School on May 7.
No insurance or ID is required. Test results will be available within minutes.
All results are confidential.
The Source: The information in this post was collected and produced by FOX6 News.