MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius. (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner)

Hundreds of students in the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) have been tested for lead poisoning as the district continues navigating controversy after several school closures due to lead contamination. City officials said during a Thursday morning press conference that 249 students and their siblings have been tested since January. Three schools remain closed including Fernwood Montessori School, Starms Early Childhood Center, and LaFollete School, while four other schools which were previously closed have been re-opened. 

MPS also announced that its senior director of facilities director and management is leaving the district, effective immediately. The district is now looking for a new director to help address lead hazards in MPS schools. Sean Kane had been with MPS for 25 years. MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius thanked him for his service during the Thursday morning press conference at the MPS Administration Building. 

“I will immediately begin a search for a permanent replacement to lead the district,” said Cassellius, adding that Michael Mannan, the Milwaukee Health Department’s director of home environmental health, and Mike Turza, a retired MPS employee who was re-hired in March after nine years of retirement are assisting during the transition. Turza was brought onto Cassellius’ transition team to help with an operational audit requested by the governor’s office.

Kane has become a central figure in the MPS lead contamination controversy. While working as facilities director, Kane had failed to keep his architecture license current. In March, the state Department of Health Services issued a letter blasting lead remediation work done by MPS employees overnight at Fernwood Montessori. The letter said that 11 employees conducting the lead remediation may not have been trained to do so, and that students had been allowed back into classrooms which were still contaminated. 

“We must move forward with a plan that everyone has confidence in, that everyone trusts, and that puts the wellbeing of our students and staff at the forefront,” said Cassellius. Mayor Cavalier Johnson was also in attendance, and praised the collaborative efforts between MPS, the health department and the state government, as well as MPS leaders’ care and attention to families. “There’s nothing, absolutely nothing more important than the health and wellbeing of kids in Milwaukee,” said Johnson. “We recognize that there are issues, and we are actively working to address those issues with keeping the health and again, the wellbeing, of kids at the forefront.” 

This week, Kane was fined $1,319 by the state Department of Safety and Professional Services for violating state law, and misrepresenting himself as an architect since his license lapsed nearly five years ago. While his license was invalid, Kane was appointed facilities and management director in October 2021.

Cassellius wouldn’t comment on personnel matters involving Kane. During the Thursday press conference, however, Milwaukee Health Commissioner Dr. Mike Totoraitis said, “I never want to see anybody lose their job or their role, however I do think at this moment, it was warranted to help move us into this next step.”

Totoraitis also answered questions from media about emails showing that Kane did not allow health department staff into Golda Meir School to do a full lead risk assessment, and did not disclose that lead remediation work was ongoing after a student was found to have lead poisoning. “I was frustrated,” said Totoraitis. “Our team was also ready to send a staff of about eight individuals and lead risk assessors to go to the schools. We were ready to work that weekend.” 

The health commissioner said that 249 students and their siblings have been tested for lead poisoning. Others have received  routine screening at pediatric offices. Totoraitis also said “we have pivoted” from using dust swab samples inside buildings to using a checklist and visual inspection — which he said is outlined in state statute — “to ensure that we are quickly assessing the schools, as opposed to doing the dust wipe samples which usually take a week and a half to get processed.” In some cases, Totoraitis said that ceiling and floor tiling is being checked and sealed to prevent lead intruding into the schools. 

A plan to tackle the lead contamination has been drafted and officials said it will eventually be released to the public. Testing and screening of students will continue, “because that’s the best way for us to determine if children have been poisoned or not,” said Totoraitis. 

In late March, Totoraitits said that the city issued a formal request to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for additional assistance, and had received federal assistance in recent months. Mass layoffs in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and funding cuts by the Trump administration have put additional assistance in question. 

On Thursday, Gov. Tony Evers highlighted a plan to tackle lead contamination in his weekly radio address. The plan includes over $300 million to fund initiatives aimed at removing lead service lines contaminating drinking water and supporting lead renovation programs. Childhood lead contamination has been linked to cognitive disorders including degraded impulse control, learning disabilities, and violent behavior. About 85 MPS schools were built before 1970 and are therefore at high risks of lead contamination.