School Board Director Megan O’Halloran Calls for Corrective Action Plan to Address WIAA Concerns

MILWAUKEE, WI – Milwaukee Board of School Directors District 8 Representative Megan O’Halloran released the following statement regarding the WIAA’s decision to forfeit Bay View and Pulaski High School football seasons.

“Participation in sports offers lifelong benefits to children. At its best, youth sports improve physical, emotional, and mental health. Unfortunately, studies confirm that there are very real disparities in quantity and quality of athletic opportunities offered to children based on economic background.

That is why the news about Bay View High School and Pulaski High School is so particularly disheartening. Both schools serve a student body that is 80%+ economically disadvantaged. Our students have had to fight harder just to get to the regular season than their peers in surrounding districts. Now, as Bay View High School was preparing for its first post-season game in seven years, we’re told that they’ll have to forfeit this season and face a two-year playoff ban. This is making children pay for mistakes made by adults. Completely unacceptable.

I’m calling on the MPS Administration to address any and all personnel matters that may have contributed to this error and to prepare a corrective action plan to prevent further clerical errors from costing our children opportunities. Furthermore, the corrective action plan needs to address outstanding compensation concerns that could be contributing to pushing high-quality caring coaches out of our district.

Finally, while we address the process gaps that allowed this situation to occur, I urge the WIAA to reconsider the way this penalty is being assessed. I could not be prouder to represent the Bay View Redcats and hate that our student athletes are suffering the consequences of adult inaction.”

For more information, call 414-475-8284 or contact the Office of Board Governance at governance@milwaukee.k12.wi.us.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.