Alliance Statement on Ms. Tempel’s Hearing
The Waukesha School District terminated a teacher yesterday because the Board and Superintendent brought negative attention to the community.
rainbows
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SCHOOL DISTRICT OF WAUKESHA RECOMMENDS TERMINATION FOR TEACHER WHO SPOKE OUT ABOUT RAINBOWLAND
The Alliance is disappointed to learn that on May 15, 2023, after being on administrative leave for more than a month, Heyer Elementary School First Grade Teacher Melissa Tempel was notified that the Superintendent of the School District of Waukesha was recommending her termination.
Maestra Melissa’s Students Deserve Their Teacher Back
This Teacher Appreciation Week, there is one partner missing from our first-grade classroom at Heyer: Maestra Melissa. Her class has been without her, or any permanent teacher, for 25 school days and counting.
An Exchange Between a Parent and a Board Member
Dear Superintendent Sebert and School Board members, The international hubbub arising from the bottom end of Larchmont Avenue–my spouse’s elementary alma mater–brings to mind the fable of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Made famous by Disney’s Fantasia, Goethe’s poem has plenty of interpretive layers that extend well beyond this controversy, but the image is provocative–for me at least: You created a monster with this “controversial signage” policy–and doubled down with an unnecessary (and unnecessarily cruel) “parental rights” resolution. And now, every time you try to cut the rainbow, you just end up with two rainbows. Then four. Then eight. And the next thing you know, […]
Alliance Statement in Support of Melissa Tempel
It is time for Ms. Tempel to be returned to her students and for the district to take accountability for starting this mess in the first place simply, because they wanted to keep rainbows out of a first-grade classroom.
The Alliance for Education in Waukesha calls on the School District of Waukesha to End Bias in SDW Schools
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.
Rainbows and spectrums are also well recognized symbols of neurodiversity and autism – An Open Letter
ALL children and families deserve to be welcome, respected and represented in our school district. It’s well past time to stop trying to remove any representation of one group; in trying to do so you are harming us all.
Open Letter to Dr. Sebert & the Board
Good afternoon, Dr. Sebert, Dr. Piacsek and SDW Board members,
First, I’d just like to say, “Happy Trans Day of Visibility!” I hope you’re all finding at least some small way to celebrate inclusion and acceptance today.
Open Letter to the Board & Superintendent
Dr. Sebert, Dr. Piacsek and Members of the Board,
Regarding the “SDW Stakeholder Communication”:
How dare you?
How dare you try to throw the teachers and staff of this district under the bus for the way YOU are choosing to implement policy?
Open Letter to the Superintendent
Mr. Sebert –
Stop gaslighting the “stakeholders” and hiding behind a policy that is being implemented in a discriminatory manner at YOUR direction.