ONLINE: Community Town Hall

media release: The Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District (MCPASD) Network formally invites students, staff, parents and community members to attend a virtual community town hall addressing racial injustice in MCPASD schools on Monday, August 3, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. (CST). For weeks, community members have called for the School District to address systemic racism and racial disparities within all levels of education, through a petition with over 720 signatures. Not only has the District actively rejected such efforts, but they have utilized the virtual nature of their School Board meetings to repeatedly stifle public comment and disenfranchise the voices of BlPOC students, staff, and community members. Stephen Kolison, an alum from Middleton High School’s Class of 2013, is frustrated with the District’s approach.

“They use Covid-19 as an excuse to ignore us and our petition, but what was the excuse when only 52% of Black students graduated from MHS in 2014?” Kolison asks. “What was the excuse when a majority of Black and brown students underperformed in English and Math from 2016-2019? Throughout this process, [the School Board] hasn’t listened to any of the Black and brown families and I’m honestly convinced they care very little for marginalized communities.”

In order to uplift the voices of marginalized communities in the MCPASD, the MCPASD Alumni Network will host a virtual town hall to hear testimonials about racial injustices that students, staff, parents, and alumni have experienced in Middleton schools. Anonymous testimonials will also be collected at bit.ly/MCPASDStories, shared via the social media account @mcpasdnetwork on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and read during the town hall. We have invited members of the School Board, District administration, Middleton Common Council, and Cross Plains Village Board to attend.

We plan to use our virtual platform to prioritize the voices of BIPOC students and community members, but we encourage anyone wishing to share a testimonial to register by emailing mcpasdnetwork@gmail.com. Should individuals wish to share comments but cannot attend, please submit your testimonial here. On August 3, community members who have not registered to speak may access the town hall using the Zoom meeting invitation below or by watching the Facebook live stream on our page.

Meeting Link: https://stonybrook.zoom.us/j/92059519486?pwd=VEhlT2dwQVh1aXA0cWhjdzYramltQT09

Meeting ID: 920 5951 9486

Password: 973962