Southside Elementary Organizing Update

<<<<<<< HEAD Many folks have become aware recently of formal complaints at Southside Elementary, and there are a number of Indian Springs/Southdale/Moorland area families involved in the work. This coverage is a result of an ongoing organizing effort among staff, families and students at Southside to hold administration accountable for policies and practices at school that contribute to a disruptive and harmful social and academic environment for students.

Current and former staff have been organizing since January, and submitted a number of formal complaints to MMSD in April. On May 20, after waiting for movement from the district for over a month, staff, students and family members testified at the Board of Education meeting (testimonies begin at about 30:00 timestamp) about our experiences and demands for substantive change, including the removal of Principal Terrell and Assistant Principal Torres. Much of this effort has been undertaken by current staff, including a number of staff who also have children enrolled at school. The staff complaints were not released to the media or the public as they are now open investigations.

At the May 20th School Board meeting, the main staff demand was for MMSD to hire an independent investigation team to evaluate and make recommendations about the Staff General Practices Complaint. In the complaint, staff named not only Southside administrators, but a number of their superiors in MMSD. The patterns of retaliation, lack of school safety protocols, exclusionary discipline methods, and other serious issues are alleged to be practices that have been known and supported at higher levels in the district. Staff demanded an independent investigation and later that same week, MMSD conceded and began that process.

Families began organizing in earnest in May after the Board testimonies. In a short and intense few weeks, a petition and formal Family Complaint were drafted, circulated and submitted to MMSD officials and the School Board on June 4. There have been 72 signatories to the Family Petition/Complaint so far, and it’s still open for more contributions.The full, public complaint is attached, and if you want to add your name to the growing list of supporters, please fill out this form and click “Yes”.

Since then, the Family Complaint as well as a number of individual complaints about practices at Southside have been referred to the same legal firm conducting the investigation. This process will take some time, and MMSD and the legal form are only just beginning the process.

Family organizing and media coverage have continued. We look forward to growing support from the community and continued spotlight on the issues we’ve brought forward. We are fighting for a safe, welcoming and supportive environment for all students, staff and families at Southside Elementary.

Media Coverage

Article	Publisher	Date Published
Southside Elementary staff say principals have created a toxic school	Capitol Times	20May2024
MMSD Parents, staff call for investigation of Southside Elementary administrators	WKOW/Channel 27	21May2024
Southside Elementary teachers allege culture of retaliation	WI State Journal	22May2024
Madison: Southside Elementary teachers and staff allege culture of bullying and retaliation.	WTMJ Milwaukee Radio	23May2024
Madison school district to hire outside investigator for Southside Elementary probe	Isthmus	29May2024
Southside Elementary families demand principals be fired	Capitol Times	05Jun2024
Parents call for removal of Southside Elementary leadership	WI State Journal	05Jun2024
Parents allege unsafe schooling environment in 18-page complaint to Southside Elementary School officials	Channel 3000/Channel 3	06Jun2024
Investigation into Madison school underway following multiple allegations	WMTV/Channel 15	14Jun2024

Southside Family Complaint Summary

We are Southside family members and caregivers, and we joined together to express serious concerns about the learning environment at Southside Elementary School. We have written a thorough complaint and will deliver it to the District Superintendent and MMSD School Board this week. We are asking the School District to act immediately to address the situation at Southside.

Shared Concerns

Frequency of physical fights and bullying with little intervention and no calls home, even if our children have been injured or spent time in the nurse’s office as a result.
Lack of schoolwide safety protocols, for example, outdated or non-existent fire and evacuation plan; unsafe drop-off and dismissal protocols; no standard response to serious peer conflict and injuries.
Poor communication from Administration (Principal and Assistant Principal); admin often don’t return emails or phone calls; don’t make the time to meet with concerned parents; serious safety and health concerns have been dismissed for long term
Instructional loss: Our children are losing time that should be spent learning to chronic behavior issues due to lack of behavior support; students with IEPs and ILPs are not receiving services they are owed
Inconsistent and Exclusionary Discipline: Disciplinary actions like “buddy spaces” and “walkers circle” are shaming and exclude students from their classrooms for up to weeks, and even months.
Staff turnover: Southside staff are leaving in huge numbers; most of our children’s teachers from past grades are now gone; many current teachers are new to the profession and learning how to provide structure and support to our children; 9+ vacant positions all year
Family and community engagement has been dismantled. Communication and family engagement is inconsistent. For 3 years, turnover in Family Engagement positions has been high, with engagement staff resigning mid-year. Events are not communicated with notice or with correct details.

Demands for MMSD

The removal of Principal Terrell and Assistant Principal Torres.
In selecting new administrators, adhere to MMSD policies for Principal Screening and Selection, including conducting a school-based interview, community survey, and community panel.
Act immediately to improve our children’s safety and learning environment.
Rebuild trust with all Southside students, families, and staff.

How to Support

Please visit this Google Form to sign in support of this family complaint to MMSD.

If you would like to get involved or request the full complaint, contact: concernedsouthsidefamilies@gmail.com

You can email the school board here: board@madison.k12.wi.us and let them know you support the teacher and parent requests for better conditions at Southside Elementary.