Update on USM Lawsuit

From University School of Milwaukee Head of School Steve Hancock:

Dear University School of Milwaukee Community,
 
As promised, I want to give you a brief update on the lawsuit recently brought against USM.
 
Today, the school filed a motion to dismiss the case because the lawsuit is without merit. Our motion makes clear that, as an absolute last resort, the family in question was not invited to return to USM due to unacceptable behavior by the parents towards our teachers and staff. The family’s children were well-liked by their peers and teachers, which made this exceptionally rare decision very challenging.
 
As this situation has unfolded, a handful of you shared that you might not feel comfortable raising a concern in the future. I want to reassure you and reaffirm how much we appreciate, value, and rely on all kinds of feedback from our parents, students, faculty and staff, alumni and parents of alumni, and other stakeholders. It is vital to our shared success. My door is wide open, and I will continue to listen and learn from you.
 
As you will recall from the recent media blitz, numerous false claims were made regarding racial and socioeconomic bias at the school. When initially raised, these concerns were taken very seriously, fully investigated, and ultimately found to be without merit.
 
At USM we take great pride in the supportive and inclusive community we intentionally strive to create. Building that community of belonging depends on transparency and a robust dialogue between all of us.
 
We do expect that today’s motion might generate some additional press, and we will continue to keep you updated if there are material developments regarding this unfortunate matter in the future.
 
There are just a few weeks until Commencement, and I know that we all want to center our attention on our amazing senior class as they prepare to graduate. Like you, I am so impressed with all that they have accomplished, especially given the unprecedented challenges of the past few years.
 
As ever, I look forward to continuing in partnership with all of you.

Sincerely,

Steve Hancock
Head of School