MPS Head Start funding suspended after allegations of abuse, improper supervision of kids

Milwaukee Public Schools is losing federal Head Start funding for the rest of the month after federal officials said they discovered incidents of maltreatment, physical abuse, verbal abuse and lack of supervision in the district's programs, records show.

The federal agency, the Administration for Children and Families, said it was suspending funding for MPS because of deficiencies in three areas: appropriate supervision, correction of safety problems and proper training for staff.

Head Start is a free, federally funded preschool program that also offers social services. MPS operates 37 Head Start sites with full-day K3 and K4 programs.

The district could continue to go without federal funding if ACF does not find that it has corrected the problems. District officials said they are working to "correct issues identified" and will use MPS funds to sustain the program during the suspension of federal funds.

The district's current five-year grant from ACF was set to end May 30, MPS officials said. The district applied in November for another next five-year grant, a MPS spokesperson said, and expect a decision in the next few weeks.

MPS is expecting to get about $10.5 million in Head Start funding for the next school year, according to the district's budget plan.

The Administration for Children and Families notified MPS in April about problems it had uncovered, according to a letter obtained through an open records request. MPS then had a chance to dispute and correct the issues, but, on May 16, the agency said MPS had failed to do so and would lose its funding May 21 for 30 days.

The May 16 letter doesn't detail the specific incidents that caused alarm. The Journal Sentinel has requested additional documents.

More: What to know about Head Start preschool programs in Wisconsin

According to the May ACF letter, MPS requested an informal meeting May 2 to demonstrate why the district should not lose the funding. At the meeting, MPS said it had enhanced communication, training, monitoring and mental health consultations. The agency was not swayed, the letter shows, noting MPS "failed to show it did not cause harm to participants' health and safety."

"Given the repeated nature of the multiple child health and safety incidents at MPS since June 2022, ACF is unpersuaded that MPS action steps will prevent further incidents," the letter states.

After the May 2 meeting, ACF found MPS had failed to show that children were adequately supervised between their buses and their homes, failed to show that it had corrected problems with oversight of safety protocols, and failed to show that staff had been adequately trained to "not maltreat or endanger" children.

Nicole Armendariz, communications director for MPS, said the district has created a "responsive action plan" to address the issues raised by ACF.

"Any time an issue is identified related to the health or safety of children, MPS takes action to address the situation," she said in a statement.

State agency also lists MPS Head Start violations

Additionally, state officials have identified numerous violations at MPS Head Start facilities, which are documented on the state Department of Children and Families' Child Care Finder website.

A spokesperson for the state agency said that while Head Start programs are supposed to self-report violations to both the federal and state agencies, MPS in some cases has "reported to one agency but not the other."

Earlier this year, DCF and the ACF held a "full review of all MPS violations" to make sure both agencies were aware of all of the incidents, according to DCF Deputy Communications Director Jamie Keehn.

While the state DCF has authority over licensed child care programs, public schools that operate Head Start programs are exempt from needing licenses from DCF, Keehn said. However, the department still provides regular onsite monitoring of the programs to ensure they comply with state administrative rules.

According to an April letter from ACF to MPS obtained by CBS 58, which hasn't yet been provided to the Journal Sentinel, ACF listed 19 incidents, including incidents at Metcalfe School where staff threatened children and children were unsupervised.

DCF's website describes numerous violations of administrative rules at Metcalfe's Head Start program for similar concerns in 2023, including:

• "Suspected child abuse and neglect was not reported when multiple concerns regarding a staff member were brought to attention. Administrative staff stated they did not report upon learning of the allegations and 'believe someone else may have.'"

• "Upon entrance to the facility, children were observed running out of the classroom and around the building."

• "An individual helping in the classroom during licensing visit was observed pulling a child by their arms from the hallway, through the doorway, and into the classroom. Multiple reports were received by the Department regarding a staff member using prohibited actions towards children in care, including but not limited to, shoving a child resulting in child hitting their head, pulling a child's arm, holding children's heads and pulling children roughly into a seated position."

• "Staff were observed screaming at children throughout licensing visit... Multiple statements were received regarding staff grabbing children and yelling in their faces."

At other sites, violations listed on the DCF website include a lack of documentation for background checks on staff and lack of safety trainings.

Armendariz said the district has implemented additional safety training for Head Start staff, provided "resources regarding active supervision," and created materials that provide daily safety reminders in classrooms.

Contact Rory Linnane at rory.linnane@jrn.com. Follow her on X (Twitter) at @RoryLinnane. 

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: MPS Head Start funding suspended after abuse allegations