Today, in an email, MPS Superintendent Dr. Darienne Driver sent an update on how the district will handle and respond to next week's walkout.
Here is that email in full:
"Dear MPS Family,
"On March 14, 2018, students around the country and in Milwaukee Public Schools are planning to participate in the student-led National School Walkout. It calls for students to gather outside school at 10 a.m. for 17 minutes -- one minute for each of the individuals killed during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida last month.
"I support our students in expressing their constitutional rights to assembly and peaceful protest in a respectful way. I also expect our students to follow a few simple guidelines as we work to protect their safety as well as their First Amendment rights. Families and MPS staff, please review these general guidelines with your students:
"Only students in 6th-12th grade can participate in the National School Walkout by leaving their classrooms. This decision was made to protect the safety of our youngest students. Students in kindergarten through 5th grade may participate in classroom activities during that time.
"Students are not required to participate. Students who do not choose to participate will be supervised by staff during the walkout.
"Students are not allowed to leave the school campus during the protest, which will end promptly at 10:17 a.m. The district cannot ensure student safety once they leave school grounds. Students who do not return to the building promptly or leave school grounds will not be allowed back into the building for the remainder of the school day.
Parents of students in 6th-12th grade may join their students from 10 to 10:17 a.m. Parents must arrive at the school no later than 9:30 a.m. For the safety of our students, no one will be allowed access after 9:45 a.m.
"For safety reasons, members of the community will not be allowed to join students on school grounds. If you wish to support the efforts of students participating in the National School Walkout, please consider using the social media hashtag #standwithstudents
"MPS will have additional staff at each school. We are also working with the Milwaukee Police Department and the MPS Division of School Safety to provide additional support, as needed.
"From this tragic situation, our young people have the opportunity to build on and create their own voices and to participate in civic engagement. Thank you for your support of our young people.
"Best,
Darienne B. Driver, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools"
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
