MILWAUKEE, Wis. — For several weeks now, we've been hearing concerns from Milwaukee Public Schools parents after high lead levels were found in at least two schools.
"She [my daughter] already has elevated lead levels. I didn’t know where it was coming from," Kagel Elementary parent Daisy Aldape said.
"The fact that we are here at this place suggests to me that something went wrong in the prevention plan," another parent, Kristen Payne, said.
Earlier this week, we heard from Sean Kane, the director of facilities and maintenance at MPS.
Kane ensured the schools are safe and that his team will continue doing lead abatement.
However, as TMJ4's Jenna Rae investigates, she found that Kane was hired without the required credentials.
"My concern is that if he was lying then, and lying for that long, how could we trust what he is saying now?" one MPS employee said.
"He's misrepresenting us on the level of our professional services, and it's casting doubt on our department," a second MPS employee added.
We spoke with two MPS employees on Friday. They want their identities concealed for fear of retaliation.
"It's disappointing, but not surprising that there was no diligence done to follow up and make sure he had the credentials he told them he had," the first employee said.
Internal communications obtained by TMJ4 News show that on August 1, 2024, an employee emailed top administrators and board members with concerns about Kane's lack of a license.
It’s a license the district requires for Kane's position. Policy states the director must be either a registered architect or engineer.
Public records show Kane was approved by the board on October 19, 2021. He had no registered license at the time, according to the Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS).
"I think MPS has always shown a lack of accountability for the people in power in this district, and this is another example of somebody with power getting away with lying to the public," the first employee added.
Watch: MPS facilities director, responsible for lead clean-up, hired without proper licenses
On July 30, 2024, nearly three years after Kane had been on the job, emails show administrators received a complaint on their fraud hotline about his lack of a license.
The very next day, DSPS records indicate, Kane renewed his license.
"Do you guys think that’s a coincidence?" Rae asked the two employees.
"Uhm, no. I think that if he was made aware that a complaint had been filed, which historically MPS has been known to tip people off that complaints had been filed against them," the first employee said.
"I believe he had no good intentions to ever get his license reinstated," the second employee echoed.
Minutes before our deadline on Friday, Kane said he was available for an interview.
"My assumption is it was still active while I was still continuing with education credits, but the payments were not made," Kane said.
"Whose responsibility do you think it was to ensure your license was intact before you were appointed and approved for this position?" Rae asked Kane.
"I would honestly think it's human resources," he responded.
"So, there was no indication that you should've been checking that your license was in good standing before being in this position?" Rae asked.
"Not from my understanding. Again, I honestly thought my license was active during that whole time," Kane said.
This missed accountability, these employees said, is at the expense of children's health and safety.
"This is why the license was attributed to that position because it was given to him to represent us for public health, safety, and the welfare of the people that occupy these buildings," the second employee said. "Without that license, we're at the place of a loss within our schools, in our community, and of course, most importantly, our students."
Kane told us someone from the state reached out to him on July 29, 2024, about his expired license. That’s one day before an employee made a complaint to the district, and more than two years after he was hired.
We’re still waiting to see all of the paperwork from the state regarding Kane’s lapsed license.
If you have a concern about Milwaukee Public Schools but want your identity concealed, TMJ4 offers the option of anonymity. You can reach out to Rae, and she’ll look into your concerns. Email her at Jenna.Rae@tmj4.com.
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