An open letter to Bradford Saron, Superintendent, and the Sun Prairie Area School District Board of Education:

We write to you in a time of overwhelming disappointment and frustration, and on behalf of Black and Brown families and their allies within the Sun Prairie Area School District. As a group of families that have strategically selected Sun Prairie as a school district for their families, we want to make our disappointments, expectations, and our intentions are clear.

The educational planning incident that occurred on February 1, 2021 is merely the straw that broke the camel’s back and we believe there is much for the SPASD to own and to urgently find remedy. We are thankful SPASD expedited a response to the most recent incident and we would agree with your description of the incident as a “grave error”. Additionally, we would continue to express this incident as unsurprising, consistent with previous behavior, and a demonstration of the many micro-aggressions Black and Brown children experience on a regular basis within the district. We can quickly highlight a few: The Black-Face incident, Teacher on Zoom with the Confederate Flag, Blue Lives Matter in response to Black Lives Matter in Schools, School Board’s Police in Schools Proclamation, No District Response, as promised, to Student Walk-out. In each of these incidents, aggressors felt at ease and entitled to leverage their privilege to entertain, politicize, and demean Black and Brown families. We believe the district has not done all it should to reduce the number of triggering events our children and the community have and continue to experience.  These are only a handful of incidents and we are prepared to talk about many more.

There is an abundance of data that has identified how far the district is behind in the hiring of teachers of color, and specifically Black teachers, as well as teachers that are likely to be successful in instructing Black and Brown students. We have observed Black staff leaving the district at a significant pace and believe an accurate assessment of productivity would find this to be another area in which the district continues to not meet any set of rational standards. We request the most updated data on your hiring practices, responsible parties, and their accreditations. We believe the district has harbored a corrosive environment for hiring, retaining, and promoting equity minded staff that cannot be repaired through your current practices. 

Our demands that need to be addressed: 

*We request the immediate and permanent dismissal of the Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning and Equity as she has held the responsibility for district equity work for the past 7 school years and we continue to amass young emotional casualties from her poor choices and dismal outcomes. Her efforts do not show growth to support this crucial work. A third party audit must be initiated on Stephanie Leonard-Witte’s work in the area of equity including interviews with former and current administrators, teaching staff , parents and community members that have worked with her. The academic and behavioral data and trends from before and during her tenure needs to be examined, released, and made public. 
*Create a formal Equity Department that will be headed by an official Director of Equity who is fully hired and continually vetted by a group of racially diverse community members, some of whom may be a part of this group.
*The Equity Department will include Talent and Acquisitions Managers/Coordinators who can recruit from racially diverse groups across the state and nation.
*The Equity Department will be a part of all discrimination complaints throughout the district.
*Consult with a third party approved by a group of racially diverse community members, some of whom may be a part of this group, in order to change your current practices in obtaining and retaining more teachers, administrators, counselors, coaches, psychologists, and other Black and Brown staff members that appropriately aligns with the demographics of the student population.
*Provide spaces for Black and Brown staff to thrive including support groups and an HR team member that is specifically assigned to the recruitment and retention of staff of color. This person must sign off prior to any discipline decision regarding these staff members. 
*Work towards all buildings having one or more Black or Brown staff in leadership roles, and have an active Cultural Family Advocate in each building to help facilitate communication between the schools and families.  
*Evaluate your anti-racist teaching trainings and collect data to see if it has been effective. The district has been working with the same people for years with no change in outcomes and in some cases increased failure rates for Black and Brown students. 

We expect your acknowledgement and an official response within 10 business days of this communication and the appropriate steps to develop an immediate plan of action to stand behind your vision and mission which says,  “The Sun Prairie Area School District Board of Education stands by all of our students, staff and families​. We celebrate the values of our diverse community​. We support and are inclusive of all students, staff, families and community members of all races, ethnicities, faiths, national origins, immigration statuses, political viewpoints, abilities, sexual orientations, and gender identities. We stand by our students with disabilities and their families.​ We will continue to staunchly protect the right of people of all abilities. All children will be safe and loved in our schools…..Every Child, Every Day.  We are Committed to Rigor, Relevance, and Engagement not only Inside the Classroom -- But also Outside the Classroom”  

We are committed to helping you do better, while holding you accountable.  

Sincerely,

The Hawk & Bowie families

Representing other concerned Sun Prairie residents and families of SPASD