We are parents, former parents and former staff of Mankato Area Public Schools.  Some of us still have children in the district.  Some have transferred our children to other educational options, while some of us are considering leaving.

Our experiences are different, but we are hearing and seeing many of the same things.

We see students struggling with bullying and behavior while families feel consequences are inconsistent or concerns are not fully resolved.  We hear from staff who want to advocate for students but worry that speaking honestly about problems within their schools could jeopardize their jobs.  We hear from families struggling to obtain appropriate support for children with ADHD, disabilities or mental health needs.

Some parents have children that are not sufficiently challenged academically, while others say struggling students cannot get enough help.

We are asking for greater parental involvement in what students are taught.  Parents should not have to continuously monitor classroom materials for divisive topics and then submit an opt out request.  Families are asking MAPS to provide a clear, district wide form at the beginning of the year, allowing parents to affirmatively opt their elementary students into lessons specifically addressing sexuality or gender identity.  This would create a consistent process and give teachers clear direction from the beginning of the year.

We do not expect schools to eliminate every conflict or solve every problem.  We do expect concerns to be taken seriously and policies to be consistently followed.

We are asking the school board to hire an independent third party to review the district's bullying and disciplinary systems, including policy 506 and 542, and recommend improvements to those policies and how they are implemented.

Finally, policies 471 and 524 involving social media and monitoring of off campus speech need greater clarity.  The language should be narrow enough that it cannot be interpreted to mean a staff member is harming the district simply by raising concerns or advocating for their students.  Employees should be held accountable for genuine threats, harassment, confidentiality violations or other misconduct, while lawful and appropriate advocacy should not be treated as disloyalty or as harming the district simply because it is critical.

All of us want MAPS to succeed.  Some of us would like to return, and others want to feel confident keeping our children in the district.

Families cannot simply be asked why they are leaving.  When they answer, we need the district and school board to listen, and we do not feel heard.  Only one school board member mentioned the accountability and disciplinary concerns.  

What are incumbent candidates Kari Pratt and Patrick Baker along with candidates Joel Hollerich and Tracy Fredrick going to do to reverse student market share decline to other education options? Will they take our suggestions into consideration? We also challenge the Superintendent  and other board members to address our concerns.

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