The Alliance for Education in Waukesha calls on the School District of Waukesha to End Bias in SDW Schools
Alliance for Education In Waukesha
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 2023
Email: Allianceforeducationwaukesha@gmail.com
STATEMENT ON BIAS IN WAUKESHA SCHOOLS
The School District of Waukesha (SDW) made national news for banning the song “Rainbowland.” This decision is a consequence of nearly three years of bad policy implementation by the SDW Superintendent and Board. Rainbowland is merely a symptom of an on-going pattern of bias, bullying of students, staff and parents, and failure to appropriately document and respond to incidents of discrimination and harassment.
The Alliance for Education in Waukesha (AEW) is speaking up in unwavering support of its students and staff who hold the district accountable to these harmful, unfair, disrespectful, and possibly unconstitutional policies and procedures. It is our hope that by shining a light on this pattern of behavior that we can slow the loss of many dedicated, high-quality educators in our district, restore faith in district leadership, and encourage the Board of Education and administration to act quickly to reinstate practices in classrooms that preserve the dignity, autonomy, and respect of its students and staff.
When Dr. Sebert was hired, our Board President at the time cited Sebert with the attributes of being “student focused, open minded, collaborative, involved in the community and embracing diversity.” However, he has shown none of these attributes in his tenure here in Waukesha.
SDW needs leadership that is accountable and transparent and that works to ensure rigorous educational opportunities for all students and fiscally responsible decisions to protect academics. Instead, Superintendent Sebert and the Board use the district’s limited resources to focus on the following issues:
- Failure to properly collect and report any incidents of harassment and discrimination to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
- Putting in place inconsistent and confusing guidelines for policies that show bias against LGBTQ+ students and staff.
- Censorship of components of curriculum that reflect diverse viewpoints.
- Book audits that redirect teachers’ and librarians’ time to review hundreds of library books that are not even in our libraries.
- Unnecessary adoption of a Parental Rights and Transparency resolution that does nothing to advance parents’ rights but does take away freedoms and dignity from students to show up in the classroom as themselves.
- Using national narratives to stoke fear and subvert the promise of public education that do not reflect the reality in Waukesha.
While the list of parent, staff and student concerns continues to grow, AEW was particularly disappointed in the most recent statement issued by the Superintendent and Board President regarding “Rainbowland”. The statement attempted to blame teachers and the principal for a “controversy” that is the direct result of the Superintendent and Board’s adversarial position and misuse of Policy 2240 “Controversial Issues in the Classroom”. Their choice is to put blame on and threaten staff rather than own the culture they have created. Becky Gilligan, a parent in the School District notes that “The Waukesha School District is intent on stifling diversity and denying equality to the community it serves.”
Although the Superintendent and Board continue to remain steadfast in their statement that decisions do not reflect bias toward LGBT students, we cannot overlook Dr. Sebert’s history of censorship in Fond du Lac and evidence of bias in his previous role in the Fond du Lac District. An educator in that district who wants to remain anonymous provided us with this statement: “While Jim Sebert was Superintendent of Fond du Lac School District, his administrative team routinely instructed LGBTQ+ staff not to disclose their LGBTQ+ identity to students. Photos of significant others were to be referred to as “friends.” The reason given for this was that disclosure of any identity other than straight/cisgender was presumed to cause parent pushback/anger that the staff did not have time to address.”
AEW parents have issued multiple invitations to the district to come to the table and talk about how we might work together to improve our kids’ lives and the image of the community. To date, the district has not responded to any of these invitations and appears to double down on blaming parents and staff who hold them accountable.
The district cannot move forward and rebuild trust and a sense of community between students, parents, teachers and the administration with Dr. Sebert in a leadership role in the School District of Waukesha unless there is a more concerted effort to engage parents and students who speak from all sides of the issue and to be honest and transparent in all communication.
AEW has had contact with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Wisconsin Department of Public Education (DPI). These organizations are designed to help Districts like Waukesha. We ask that ANY student, parent or staff member who feels their rights are being violated to use the DPI or DOJ portals to file confidential complaints so that these entities can hear what is happening in Waukesha and take action to find out whether the District is complying with federal, state and local laws. AEW is here to help people navigate these resources.
We also ask that SDW immediately rescind policies that target students and staff based on identity and reinstate curriculum and resources meant to educate and support all students in the district. In addition, we ask that they partner with the DOJ and DPI to put in place anti-bullying programs and technical assistance that both organizations offer at no cost to the district.
Finally, we invite all members of the SDW community to participate in a Rainbowland sing-along at the SDW District Office at Lindholm on Wednesday, April 12, 2023 and show support for an inclusive Waukesha. We will gather at 5:30 PM in the parking lot prior to the board meeting. This event is being hosted by the United Unitarian Universalist Congregation (UUUC). A Rainbowland Choir Practice will be held Monday at UUUC at 5:30 PM.
Media contacts can email AEW at Allianceforeducationwaukesha@gmail.com for a Press Kit and additional information on this statement.
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