Below is an agreement I proposed to MPS but have not received a response.  My son was left alone at 9pm at the school by his teachers/coaches in Dec. The weather was 20° that night. The transportation department was supposed to send a bus to drop the team off at the closest bus stops by their homes. Instead they took them back to the school. I live close to Franklin. Instead of the teachers/coaches waiting with him until I came, they left him by himself. Since then he has been jumped at school twice, threatened to be biten by a dog on the bus and many other things after I wrote this letter. His grades have fallen and his character is changing due to bullying. He's an A/B student who tests higher than adults in math. I will not let the influence of the Milwaukee Public School District ruin my child. In the meantime they are still neglecting his safety and are not communicating.    also see the horrendous things other families have gone through due to the neglect of MPS. We need to stop this Monopoly Now! Please sign and share.

March 18, 2025

Milwaukee Public Schools

5225 W Vliet Street

MIlwaukee, WI 53208

Dear District Representative: 

On behalf of the students, parents and stakeholders of Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS)  I am contacting you in order to create a community partnership pact that will address the concerns of  safety, compassionate care, and positive influence within MPS. On behalf of the community, I am requesting this partnership agreement not only within MPS as a school district but also within any department connected with MPS. Specifically stated in this case, I’d like to start this agreement by addressing the Athletic Department. The ultimate goal of my mission is to help improve the social, emotional, physical and academic strengths of the youth. Through a coordinated effort between families, community and the school district, I am confident we can make a positive change, but it has to begin with like-mindedness. 

All agreements refer to three subjects; Safety, Compassionate Care and Positive Influence. These three areas, in a broader sense, are subjects that can be built on continually. This can help us constantly improve how we properly guide our youth. These are also subjects where I’ve personally experienced failure by MPS. (Please see attached letter)

It is a known fact that MPS Athletics has a problem processing paperwork. This is a reflection of a lack of leadership. As a result of my child’s experience with MPS Athletics, my opinion is that the commissioner Thomas Malone lacks the emotional intelligence needed to guide a department properly. How can adults be good leaders if they don’t demonstrate the social and emotional characteristics it takes to identify with others? Good leaders have to be an example as well. Due to his lack of enthusiasm for safety, compassionate care and positive influence, his coaches and staff have followed his lead by completely eliminating all forms of effective communication. They don’t send out emails with information about the program. They only give their numbers to some parents. I’ve spoken with a parent whose child was not fed breakfast on an out of town trip. The parent was never notified they needed to provide their child breakfast. Thomas Malone said he would call me on numerous occasions and did not do so. I’ve emailed him asking questions about the program and he still never responded. I’ve threatened to file a petition against the Athletic department and even with the threat of a petition looming he never called. (Hopefully I won’t have to start one and send it to the department of education or the White House.) His staff also does not work to their full potential and the children then have to suffer (i.e.,not processing paperwork)

During the time of my family’s incident, after I sent the first email the head coach sent some correspondence addressing the busing schedule for an away game but after that the communication quickly ended. No more communication has been had since. The coaches barely speak to me. They are extremely out of touch. No coach has apologized to me or my child regarding leaving my son by himself on that cold night. 

In addressing the immediate concern for Safety, Compassionate Care and Positive Influence within MPS’s Athletic Dept, on behalf of the students, parents and stakeholders, I am requesting the following:

Safety: MPS needs to ensure all youth are safe at all times. Do not leave children unattended. Do not display aggressive behavior towards children (unless being bodily harmed). MPS needs to properly communicate with parents/guardians regarding transportation, meals and schedule changes. Communication is an important component of safety. By properly communicating transportation information staff and parents can ensure children are safely transported from school to home, especially since some sports have games that are played at night during the cold winter months. When staff properly communicate if meals will be provided during events, parents can plan how to get their children the fuel they need to safely stay active. Properly communicating schedule changes ensures that children will be prepared and readily available.

Compassionate Care: MPS staff must empathize with the community they serve. Service positions are based on the premise of help and assistance. MPS staff need social emotional training in order to know exactly how to positively identify with community members. MPS should respect the value that parents bring to the table and not exclude them. MPS should request parent cooperation and cooperate with parents regarding their comments and concerns about their children. In this instance improvement can’t only be done by the coaches. The commissioner has a responsibility to properly communicate, participate in trainings and exhibit positive influence.

Positive Influence: In choosing this athletic service position it should be imperative that the relationships between the community you serve are positive and productive. Athletics aren’t just about physical sport. Athletics are meant to give athletes and their families a sense of belonging. Athletics also positively help mold and shape the characters of the athletes. The relationship between staff and parents is also important. When it is not good, the child is in the middle and has confused feelings. This can add to their feelings of pressure and include regret because two important parts of their lives can not come together and get along. 

As I stated previously these requests come as a gesture of partnership. Milwaukee Public Schools has a history of blaming the community it serves and does not take responsibility for its lack of leadership. MPS focuses more on what happens in the homes of community members than what happens in its facilities. This has to change. Not to mention children’s perspective of life is far more advanced nowadays and they can tell when a structure is broken. Their intelligence is also insulted when they are forced to participate in a system that they know is failing them. 

Although as a community we will not accept nor support ineffective leadership, MPS is not our adversary. I hope a detailed plan on how MPS can connect with the community and how the community can help MPS (outside of voting for funding) can be created. In reference to youth sports,  I have been in touch with prominent community members who are committed to assisting us. I have also contacted DPI and was told to contact them again if MPS does not help me with my situation. To this day, I have been ignored by MPS Athletics (outside of the help from Amanda Schenk and Principal Corona).

Our common goal is the advancement of America’s society by creating and maintaining a strong foundation. We all know an important part of a strong foundation starts with the youth. It’s up to us to create opportunities for them to thrive. I am ready to help assist in an effort to do so. Let’s use this as an opportunity to fix the fractured relationship between MPS and the community.

I can be reached at 414.439.3516 and look forward to speaking with someone soon. Thank you for your time and attention.

Respectfully,

Latasha Young

Concerned Parent