MILWAUKEE — The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has issued a civil forfeiture notice to Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) for repeated violations of lead safety rules during renovation work at multiple schools.
According to the MPS Lead Action Plan June report, the school district was fined 13 times for noncompliance with lead safety regulations.
Documents from DHS show that MPS was fined as recently as June 10 for violations that ranged from improper lead-safe work practices and inadequate daily cleaning to using uncertified personnel.
Subcontractors for MPS were also included in the documents, with Service Painting Corporation issued a "Notice of Civil Forfeiture: Renovation" and Thomas A. Mason Company issued a "Notice of Noncompliance."
Those documents also detailed repeated acts of noncompliance observed by DHS inspectors during a series of inspections of lead renovation work at several MPS schools starting March 20, 2025.
The affected schools include Fernwood Montessori School, Starms Early Childhood Center, LaFollette Public School, and Brown Street Academy Elementary School.
Violations documented at these schools include failure to post warning signs, improper containment of work areas, improper lead-safe work practices, inadequate daily cleaning, and use of uncertified personnel.
The documents also state that MPS failed to comply with a previous plan of correction issued March 19, 2025, including refusing to permit DHS inspectors entry to inspect renovation work.
As a result of their findings, DHS concluded that despite improvements and changes made, MPS’s noncompliance has created a condition that is an “unreasonable risk to the health and safety of the children and staff attending MPS schools.”
DHS imposed a $5,500 civil forfeiture against MPS, with a 25% increase due to evidence of children’s presence during violations.
However, instead of paying the forfeiture to the state treasurer, DHS stated it would like MPS to submit a plan to reinvest that money into its lead-safety renovations.
DHS also wants MPS to provide a detailed plan of how the district and JCP Contracting, the third-party management company MPS has hired, will handle renovations in the schools moving forward.
The new documents come just a day after MPS’ Board of Directors reviewed the district’s lead remediation progress and heard community feedback on the proposed $1.5 billion budget for the 2025–26 school year.
The board also received an update on the ongoing lead crisis from Facilities Director Mike Turza.
Turza said he hopes to complete all summer lead remediation work by Aug. 25, before teachers return to classrooms. The plan also aims to have 100% of custodial and facilities staff trained on lead-safe cleaning protocols by September 2025.
MPS issued the following statement after receiving the notice:
MPS continues to work with DHS and the City of Milwaukee Health Department in handling the ongoing work to remove lead dangers from our school buildings.
Our plan includes additional funding and monitoring to reduce the risk within our facilities.
MPS quickly addressed every item brought to our attention, the majority of which occurred months ago before leadership changes and when there were no students in these specific buildings. We will continue to train and work with all staff on proper lead stabilization work. The summer plan of work MPS will be submitting to DHS identifies all steps and actions MPS will take to meet the DHS requirements.
Our Facilities teams will work with contractors and staff to ensure our processes are in line with regulations and meeting the deadlines for the start of school in September.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
