MILWAUKEE — Students at Fernwood Montessori School will have to wait a few more days to return to their classrooms after lead remediation efforts required additional time to complete.
Parents received an email Tuesday informing them that the school, which was scheduled to reopen Wednesday morning, will remain closed until Friday.
"He was very disappointed when he found out that he wasn't going to back tomorrow," Fernwood parent, Hollie Merrick said.
Her son Charlie attends K-4 at Fernwood.
Charlie has been eager to return to normal school routines.
"Do you wanna go back to school?" TMJ4's Megan Lee asked him.
"Yeah," Charlie replied.
"Why?"
Watch: Fernwood parents eager for students to return to school building
"Because I wanna see my friends," he said.
Hollie Merrick told Lee her son has stayed at home since the closure began on March 17.
"With working from home, it just made the most sense to keep him home doing virtual school," said Merrick.
While some students and staff temporarily relocated to Andrew Douglas Middle School during the closure, they will all return to Fernwood on Friday.
Superintendent Brenda Cassellius confirmed the school has passed its clearance check with the Milwaukee Health Department (MHD).
"He is ready to get back. I think he's really lacking on the social aspect of being able to be with his friends," said Merrick.
Given the age of both the school building and their home, Merrick remains vigilant about her son's health.
"We get him tested each year at his pediatricians appointment just to make sure that those levels are in check," said Merrick.
Meanwhile, cleanup efforts are continuing at LaFollette and Starms Early Childhood Center.
Click here to get the latest information from MPS on the lead remediation.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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