MILWAUKEE — Parents at Golda Meir School are demanding transparency from the Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) and Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) after tests confirmed elevated lead levels in school buildings.
A petition with over 100 signatures as of Sunday night calls for the full release of environmental assessment results, stating that families deserve full access to the findings.
The petition follows a February 6 news conference where Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Health Commissioner Mike Totoraitis, and MPS Interim Superintendent Eduardo Galvan addressed concerns about lead exposure in some schools.
According to city officials, recent tests detected lead dust and lead paint exceeding state standards in multiple MPS schools, including Golda Meir and Kagel Elementary. Results for Maryland Avenue Montessori remain pending.
The tests were conducted following individual cases of high lead levels in the blood of students.
Robert Miranda, from the Get the Lead Out Coalition (GTLO), said the information released by officials raised concerns.
Check out: Parents petition for transparency after 'significant' lead exposure at MPS schools
“We reviewed all statements and saw inconsistencies,” Miranda said. “Parents deserve to know what’s going on inside their children’s schools.”
At Golda Meir, lead dust levels on windowsills measured 14 times the allowable standard, while ground-floor dust levels were six times the limit, making all floors hazardous, according to a report.
Daisy Aldape, whose daughter attends Kagel Elementary, said she initially believed her child's elevated lead levels came from their home.
“I thought it was from my old home, but now I see it’s between my house and the school,” Aldape said. “We’re going to have to do the testing all over again.”
The MHD's report concluded that MPS "must immediately and significantly improve its detection, monitoring, and control of lead hazards."
The online petition states that officials released the findings publicly without first notifying schools or affected families.
Miranda said those parents came to GTLO with concerns. The organization is a "grassroots coalition of citizens and community organizations fighting for the removal of the toxic lead pipe infrastructure in Milwaukee."
Miranda is also worried about potential risks from lead in water.
“The mayor and health commissioner prematurely declared that lead poisoning at Golda Meir resulted from lead dust, even while test results were pending,” he said.
"It is dishonest to make a definitive declaration to the public, claiming you know the source of the lead poisoning, without having all the information. We have been saying for years that purposely ignoring the lead in our water glosses over serious structural problems that endangers our communities, including students and teachers.”
MPS considers any building constructed before 1978 likely to contain lead, and 85% of MPS schools were built before 1970.
Parents who signed the petition say conflicting messages from school officials have created confusion about school safety.
Some of their demands include:
- The release by MHD of the full reports of environmental assessments at all schools with lead-related concerns.
- The release by MHD of the full set of recommendations made to MPS.
- A written action plan by MPS for affected schools.
- A public plan by MPS for assessment of school buildings where there are likely to be threats of lead.
- Comprehensive lead testing for water in all MPS schools.
“They want answers. They want transparency, and we agree,” Miranda said.
Aldape said she remains concerned but trusts Kagel’s leadership.
“The school is very old, but the principal keeps it top-notch clean,” she said.
There are no safe levels of lead in the blood for children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Miranda said petition organizers have a goal of 250 signatures.
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