(Image provided by the Oshkosh Area School District)
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Action is taken against the Oshkosh Area School District over alleged racial discrimination.
The ACLU of Wisconsin files a complaint on behalf of a parent whose biracial children were expelled.
The complaint alleges that the children, who both attended Merrill Middle School, received persistent racial harassment at school. It also alleges the district took no action to address the harassment, even after school officials were informed about it.
The complaint asks the district to offer training for administration and staff on racial harassment, review and revise its polices for racial harassment complaints, and implement an anti-bias and anti-harassment curriculum at Merrill Middle School.
The district issued the following statement in response to the complaint:
“To date, the Oshkosh Area School District has not received any complaint filed by the ACLU and therefore is not in a position to comment further on any such complaint.
The District, however, does maintain a specific policy for addressing matters of pupil discrimination and to date, no complaint under this policy has been filed by the ACLU or by the family referenced in their press release.
The District can confirm that the ACLU has appeared in a student expulsion matter and that upon full hearing by an independent hearing officer, a student was expelled for endangering the property, health, and safety of others while at school and for repeated rule violations. The ALCU did appeal that decision to the State Department of Public Instruction which upheld the expulsion decision.
The District remains committed to providing a safe environment for all students and takes any claims of discriminatory acts very seriously.”
