Ending Contract for Policing in Milwaukee Public Schools

I support the resolution put forward by Milwaukee Public Schools Board Representatives Phillips and Taylor, calling for ending contracts with the Milwaukee Police Department and deepening student centered policies adopted in the 2015 Black Lives Matter resolution. I have called for a Special Meeting of the Board to be held June 18, 2020 at 5:30 P.M., for the resolution to be heard.

As eight of the MPS School Board members said in a June 5th statement, “… our schools and classrooms must be safe spaces for dialogue, listening to students, and support on the issues raised by the Black Lives Matter movement. We have a responsibility to end the school-to-prison pipeline and ensure that the curriculum is anti-racist and culturally relevant.”

In that statement, we also stated, “…we call upon the Milwaukee Police Department to publicly renounce the use of tear gas, rubber bullets, and other aggressive measures against peaceful protesters exercising their first amendment rights.” The history of policing in Milwaukee requires the same scrutiny and deep structural changes being proposed in Minneapolis and in other cities and states.

I support the freedom marchers in Milwaukee, across the state, the nation, and around the world. MPS students, staff, parents, and Board members, have joined the marches and proudly carried the banner of “Black Lives Matter,” opposing police brutality and calling for ending systems of oppression.

Saving funding from police contracts will help the district to better support students by providing more nurses, psychologists, social workers, guidance counselors, and mental health and trauma specialists. However, we recognize that the amount of savings will fall far short of the funding needed by our schools to meet our students’ needs, but it is a start in the right direction. It is time for all to get involved in demanding the level of investment our children deserve.

Larry Miller
President
Milwaukee Board of School Directors

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.