State Superintendent Jill Underly responds to Waukesha School District ‘Rainbowland’ controversy

By WDJT Staff

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    WAUKESHA, Wisconsin (WDJT) — The top school official in Wisconsin has strong words for leaders in the Waukesha School District.

State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly sent a letter to the district last week, and we obtained a copy.

She encouraged school leaders to reevaluate a policy that allowed them to remove a Miley Cyrus song from a school concert.

The story made national headlines and a teacher was placed on leave.

Underly wrote, “I am deeply troubled by the harm caused,” in a letter dated April 12.

Her concern was over the school district’s removal of the song “Rainbowland” from a 1st grade concert setlist, then placing a teacher on leave.

Underly’s letter continued: “You are, under the guise of protection, causing undue harm to students and staff.” and then: “It is paramount that you change course now.”

Her letter referenced the district’s own “Controversial Issues” policy, twice citing examples she felt were not being applied correctly.

Underly said the district’s decisions “intensified the stressors” on teachers and “continue to perpetuate a toxic environment.”

But the next day Waukesha Superintendent Dr. James Sebert fired back.

His email cited the steps the board and administration have taken to achieve academic goals unique to Waukesha.

He told Underly, “You know how critically important local control is for Boards and administrators to meet the varied needs in their communities.”

And he closed by saying, “In the future, I would hope that you would ask for our perspective on topics as leaders first as opposed to forming your opinion based on a press release from an advocacy group.”

The following is Waukesha Superintendent Dr. James Sebert’s response to the letter:

Good afternoon, Dr. Underly

The School District of Waukesha is the seventh largest school district in the State of Wisconsin. We serve over 11,000 kids and nearly 18,000 parents who reside in a school community of over 90,000 people. Our kids are diverse in many ways, including from an ethnic and socio-economic perspective. They are also diverse in their needs to achieve academically. To meet these diverse student needs, we have taken consistent steps as a Board and Administration to ensure the focus in our classrooms and in our schools is one of academic rigor and achievement. I have included a handout we’ve been sharing with our legislators that tells more about what makes the School District of Waukesha special. As a former School Superintendent yourself, you know how critically important local control is for Boards and administrators to meet the varied needs in their communities. As the State Superintendent, you likely realize that with over 400 school districts in Wisconsin, one size does not fit all of us on any given topic. In the future, I would hope that you would ask for our perspective on topics as leaders first as opposed to forming your opinion based on a press release from an advocacy group.

Thank you, Jim

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