As work continues to clear Milwaukee Public Schools of lead hazards, Starms Early Childhood Center gets a green light
As Milwaukee Public Schools works to repair lead paint hazards at buildings citywide, it announced May 21 that Starms Early Childhood Center is clean and safe.
'The MPS facilities team is making good progress in clearing schools of lead dangers,' MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said in a statement. 'Our students and families have navigated these disruptions with patience, and for that we are grateful. I'm encouraged that we have been able to clear another building of lead dangers and that there is a clear plan moving forward for all our schools.'
Students have been displaced from the building since March 17 — over 10 weeks — in response to lead issues. The building was built in 1893.
They moved to the nearby, but separate, Starms Discovery Learning Center.
"While the building is now ready for occupancy, the school community has asked to remain at the Starms Discovery Learning Center building for the remainder of this school year to limit disruptions to teaching and learning," the district said in a statement.
According to a visual inspection report, inspectors found lead dust hazards on floors, horizonal surfaces within kids' reach and class supplies at Starms Early Childhood Center. Chipping and peeling paint was present in classrooms for kids with disabilities, and areas where kids 6 years and younger learn.
Between 10% and 50% of paint in the building was in decay, the inspection report said.
Starms Early Childhood Center was a top-priority school for lead work, according to a spreadsheet of schools included as part of MPS' Lead Action Plan.
MPS said it's weighing several factors when deciding which schools should be remediated first: building age and condition, student population, whether any cases of lead poisoning are associated with the school, and the prevalence of childhood lead poisoning cases in the school neighborhood.
As of May 13, MPS said it had inspected 48 schools for lead hazards. The district's lead plan said it will assess 107 schools and correct the issues identified.
Starms is among six schools that have closed temporarily this school year due to lead hazards. Those schools together educate about 1,800 kids, 2024-25 state data shows.
Students and staff at Brown Street Academy, Westside Academy and LaFollette Elementary School are still displaced as their schools undergo lead remediation. Trowbridge School of Great Lakes Studies and Fernwood Montessori both closed temporarily but have since reopened.
More: Milwaukee Public Schools says 48 schools already inspected for lead hazards, with more to come
Cleo Krejci covers K-12 education and workforce development as a Report For America corps member based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at CKrejci@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @_CleoKrejci. For more information about Report for America, visit jsonline.com/rfa.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: An MPS school built in 1893 cleared of lead hazards, district says
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