NAACP Calls On State To Close Lincoln Hills School

The state chapter of the NAACP is calling on the state to close the Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake secure schools in Irma.

The appeal comes in the wake of a state and federal investigation into alleged staff abuses of youth at the facilities. Fred Royal, the NAACP Milwaukee Branch president, said that because half the inmates at the school come from Milwaukee, the state should close it and reopen the Ethan Allen School closer to the city. That center was closed in 2011 for budgetary reasons.

“A 200-mile drive is a huge disparity on the families that have to make that trip to see their loved ones,” said Royal.

Royal said the NAACP is also calling for increasing the racial diversity of the staff at the school, and for requiring cultural competency training for staff and teachers so they can better deal with youth who come from the inner city. He said the association hopes to meet with Gov. Scott Walker and Corrections Secretary Ed Wall to discuss the changes.