FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Menomonee Falls, WI – Grassroots Menomonee Falls Area is deeply disappointed to announce that the School Board has declined to set a meeting to hear from the affected families and community regarding the discriminatory removal of the book Love Makes a Family from the School District of Menomonee Falls. This decision follows dismissals by the District’s HR Director and Superintendent. All families deserve to be heard, and the Board’s refusal raises serious concerns.
The Board’s refusal to hear the appeal not only silences the affected families and the learning of all students in the district but also raises questions about their motives. The School Board was willing to hear from one family to remove the book Love Makes a Family through Procedure 871: Challenges to Supplemental Educational Materials, but will not hear from families affected by this decision through Procedure 411: Discrimination Complaint, which states: “The Board of Education shall consider the complaint at the soonest appropriate meeting at which time the complaint originator shall have the right to present his/her position to the Board. “The Facts Provided to the School District of Menomonee Falls through Procedure 411:
- Love Makes a Family is the only book at the 4K level representing LGBTQ+ families, and its removal has created a hostile environment for students with LGBTQ+ family members.
- Families and students have been directly harmed by this decision, including a second grader with anxiety about family-related school projects due to having same-sex parents, and a high schooler experiencing distress over hateful speech labeling LGBTQ+ individuals and allies as “groomers.”
- The removal of this book prevents younger students from seeing diverse family structures represented in their education, depriving them of equal access to learning materials that reflect their lives.
District Policy Failure: The district’s actions contradict their own policies, which mandate the selection of materials that provide “a wide range of interests on all levels of difficulty, provide a diversity of appeal, and present different points of view.” Instead, the Board’s decision-making has fostered a culture of discrimination, emboldening hate speech within our community, both in school board meetings and online, without any action to ensure students feel safe and welcome. This is evident in their ongoing revisions of Policy 361: Supplemental Educational Material Selection and Policy 871: Challenges to Supplemental Education Material over the past three years. These actions highlight the board’s intent to micromanage educators and the curriculum, impacting all students and disproportionately harming LGBTQ+ families and students.
Next Steps: We are committed to continuing this fight for justice for our families. The Board’s refusal to hear the appeal has forced us to move beyond the district process. We will pursue this matter at the state level, and potentially, through legal action.
Grassroots Menomonee Falls Area remains steadfast in our belief that all students should feel safe, seen, and represented in their education. Our families deserve to be heard, and we will continue to advocate for their rights, safety, and inclusion in the face of discriminatory decisions.