Milwaukee Public Schools' LaFollette School has emerged from its brush with environmental hazard, now reported clear of lead risks following concerted renovation efforts, as confirmed by the City of Milwaukee Health Department, in announcements shared across multiple sources. Superintendent Brenda Cassellius expressed relief and gratitude last Wednesday, WISN reported, highlighting the partnership and patience of the LaFollette community through the renovations, which included painting and cleaning to eradicate lead paint dangers that loom heavy in buildings of a certain age.
Despite the green light for re-occupancy, the last days of the academic year will see LaFollette students remaining at their current makeshift classrooms at Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning, due to the proximity of the school year's conclusion on today, as noted by CBS58; the school initially closed for this unscheduled interlude on March 17 when MPS triggered the pause button, taking the knob off altogether lest the specter of lead poisoning raise its ugly head among the young learners who look to these institutions as bastions of safety and growth, free from the silent assault of invisible toxins.
"I’m grateful to the LaFollette School community for their continued partnership and patience as we undertook this important work," Dr. Cassellius told WisPolitics. "A disruption like this one is never easy, but this school community navigated it with the best interests of students at the forefront," MPS emphasized that no children from LaFollette were identified as having elevated lead levels in their blood in connection with the school.
Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) has completed lead remediation work at LaFollette, part of its broader initiative to eliminate lead hazards from all pre-1978 school buildings by the end of 2025. According to MPS, seven of the nine schools previously identified with high lead levels have now been cleared. LaFollette is scheduled to reopen in September for the new school year.
