"CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In the past five years, lead poisoning has set at least 10,000 Cleveland area children on a potential path to failure before they've even finished kindergarten.

It's a path that experts say helps to perpetuate two of Cleveland's most pressing and bedeviling problems: poor school performance and violence.

The problem isn't a new one. We've known about it for decades.

What we've failed to do is fix it. We've opted to save thousands of dollars now, and thereby committed to future costs that are likely in the billions."

Rachel Dissell and Brie Zeltner report for the Cleveland Plain Dealer October 20, 2015, in one part of a multipart series, "Toxic Neglect." [2] Many other Plain Dealer staff contributed to the series.

Toxic Neglect Series Portal [3]