A news release on 8/14 highlights a new UW-Madison study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Wisconsin Partnership program Education and Research Committee, that confirms the link between exposure to lead and school suspensions.  Specifically, the study found that “Our study found that children exposed to lead were more than twice as likely to be suspended in the 4th grade….” and calculated that “…23 percent of the (racial) disparity in the (discipline gap) was explained by differences in rates of lead exposure”.

This should not be news to us. The impact of lead exposure, even at levels previously thought to be safe, is impacting early child development and learning – and more importantly, we know how to fix it. I’ve said it before, of all the things that we know contribute to a host of “bad” outcomes for kids, exposure to lead is one of the ones we know how to change – but we need a concerted effort to invest in making those changes.  For more information, check out Lead Safe Wisconsin.  by Jim Moeser