BAYVIEW, Wis. — School is back in session at Fernwood Montessori. This is the first time in more than a month students will be in the building after the school was closed for failing a lead inspection. 

“Nice to have the kids back in the regular spot,” Ryan Gabbard, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) parent, said. “Getting comfortable back there.”

Gabbard said he is thankful he no longer has to make the drive to Andrew S. Douglas Middle School. That’s where Fernwood Montessori students were attending school while remediation was occurring.

“It’s nice they did the testing,” said Gabbard. “Everything off the boxes to make sure it’s safe for the kids to get back here. My thought on it is just trying to figure out why now everything happened with it. I don’t know if it’s funding that finally came through to get the project started. It’s lead paint. It’s been around for a while. It’s nothing new.” 

MPS said no students at Fernwood Montessori have been identified as having lead poisoning that would have been connected to the school. 

MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said she’s ready to move forward and make sure MPS buildings are safe for students. 

“Fernwood had some complications with some of the areas that we had to remediate and get ready,” said Cassellius. “That was difficult. We are going to be moving forward. We are going to make some announcements on Monday. We’re going to be issuing our plan with the city. That’s another pin in there. So we’re learning as we go.”

Starms Early Childhood Center and LaFollette School remain closed for lead-hazard clean up. 

“The resilience these kids are going to have with it because they’ve gone through COVID, being remote, back-and-forth,” said Gabbard. “Then they’ve gone through this. They’re learning a lot of life skills out of this aside from school.” 

With the school year ending in the next couple of weeks, Gabbard said he is happy his kids can finish the school year at the location they started it.