Staff Says Mitchell Middle School Is In 'Crisis': Report

RACINE, WI --Educators in Racine say their middle school is "in crisis" after a rough start to the 2018-19 school year. Among their complaints: 15 injured teachers, 120 suspensions and more than 800 student disciplinary referrals since the start of school.

According to a Journal Times article, more than 70 teachers and staff at Racine's Mitchell Middle School have filed a grievance with the Racine Unified School District, claiming that the school environment is "out of control."

Here are some of the points that were made in the grievance, which was filed with the school district earlier this year:

"Mitchell Middle has no hall monitors. They were cut from the budget."

"Unsupervised students occupying the upstairs 8th grade hallways have smashed out the 2nd floor window screens and were observed sitting on window ledges with their legs hanging outside of the building."

"Teachers call the office for help, but the phone goes unanswered because office staff is busy with other callers and the parents at the counter. Clerks are working through breaks and lunch to keep up."

"240 unassigned Chromebooks assigned to Mitchell, only 171 are working."

"Some classrooms are so overcrowded that there is no room for additional desks."

"Multiple groups of students are regularly out of class and in the hallways unsupervised. Students observed making out in hidden hallways."

"Students regularly and actively resist/fight against police resource officer."

"The new weight room is being trashed. Three machines have already been broken. OUt of control students are unsafe in a room with free weights."

"ISS can have as many as 17 students in a small room. Many of these students are very upset and violent."

According to the grievance, the school has racked up the following statistics since the start of school:

• 800 ODRs (office discipline referrals).
• 120 out-of-school suspensions.
• 15 staff injuries by students.
• Five calls for police assistance on Oct. 5.

Racine Unified officials responded to the report, and issued the following statement as reported in the Journal Times.:

“We received the grievance last month and are working to address the concerns shared with us. It is not accurate to assume all the statements in the grievance are true. This is part of the process the district follows in which staff members can bring concerns forward and we investigate and follow up when appropriate.”

According to data collected at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, when compared with the number of suspensions cited in the grievance, Mitchell School suspensions have skyrocketed when compared with historical data.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, during the 2015-16 school year (the most recent data available), 122 Mitchell Middle School students were suspended over the entire year. The highest suspension rate of the prior four years game in 2014-15, when 162 students were suspended.

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