Chemical spill causes Riverside University High School to close Tuesday, first day of school for MPS
After a chemical spill the week before school was set to begin at Riverside University High School, students have been told not to report to school on Tuesday, Sept. 2, when school begins for Milwaukee Public Schools.
MPS officials haven’t shared a definitive source of the spill. They said it appears it could have been mercury from old science equipment.
In a letter to families Sept. 1, MPS Deputy Superintendent Eduardo Galván said the district is continuing to “work to find out exactly what happened.”
Galván said the building passed air tests after the spill but there is still cleanup to be done.
The school expects to welcome students a day late, on Sept. 3. Staff are still expected to report to Riverside Sept. 2, while avoiding classrooms that will be closed for the cleanup process.
Riverside was already impacted by the severe floods that swept Milwaukee in August. Riverside Principal Jeff Lasky previously told families about 10 classrooms would need to be relocated because of flooding damage.
A spokesman for MPS said Sept. 1 that no other district schools would be closed Sept. 2 as a result of flooding or the district’s work to clean up lead-paint hazards.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Chemical spill causes Riverside High to close for first day of school
