Madison School District Urges Students To Stay In Class Following Robinson Announcement

As Madison prepares for the Dane County district attorney’s decision on whether to file charges in the shooting death of Tony Robinson, which is scheduled to be announced Tuesday afternoon, the superintendent of Madison public schools is asking students not to skip school to protest.

The district emailed a letter to families early Monday morning asking them to talk to their children about the upcoming decision. Madison Metropolitan School District Superintendent Jennifer Cheatham also said she wants families to discuss how children can stay safe if they do decide to protest.

“Ultimately, this is a decision that we think is best made with families and their children, and if a child is going to participate in, on, in any kind of activity — a protest, or other kind of demonstration — we want them to understand their rights,” Cheatham said.

Included in the message was a link to page on the district’s website with information about civil disobedience. Cheatham also said there will be opportunities at middle and high schools for discussion after the announcement.

Young Gifted and Black, a black rights coalition, has announced they will not protest Tuesday. However, they do plan to take action on Wednesday.

Cheatham said the district’s advice applies to any day there might be a protest.