Cedarburg school criticized for covering up LGBTQ+ mural

Cedarburg students and parents are upset after school officials cover up a mural supporting LGBTQ + students. Their concerns eventually led to the mural being exposed.

At Webster Middle School, students on the school’s student acceptance team were shocked to learn that the mural they had painted had been covered up. The artwork says “Love is Universal” and includes flags of pride and people holding hands with hearts.

Katherine Myszewski, a former Webster Middle School band director and faculty advisor for the Student Acceptance Team, said the group painted the mural between the school’s library and the media room. She said the school’s principal Tony DeRosa originally approved it.

A district statement said the mural was covered before elementary school students were welcomed to the school for the district’s summer school program to be age-appropriate.

“While we are committed to ensuring that all of our students learn about diversity and acceptance at ANY age, the students process gender issues differently depending on their age. The aim was to ensure that the educational environment is developmentally appropriate through further dialogue about the sexual identities represented by the different people is flags / representations as well as if these concepts are typically discussed at the different ages, “the statement reads.

The district statement did not indicate whether the district is no longer concerned about exposing younger students to the material or whether its views on the matter have changed.

The beginnings of the mural

The idea for the mural came from a survey conducted by one of the school counselors at the beginning of the school year, Myszewski said. One of the questions asked students if they would like more information about LGBTQ + allies; 8.1% of the students surveyed said yes.

“LGBTQ + is probably the largest minority group we have at Webster and the fact is that they are kind of an invisible group because no data is collected on them as students would have to identify themselves,” Myszewski said in a phone interview on Aug. July. “Middle school kids are usually uncomfortable with it.”

Halfway through putting the mural together, Myszewski said DeRosa approached her and said that people were concerned that the mural was too targeted at LGBTQ + people and that it needed to be more inclusive. She said DeRosa suggested painting over the pride flags.

Myszewski refused.

“I told him this was part of the student’s identity. This is part of the mural that for some of them they are most proud of and I didn’t mean to take that away. So I told him I didn’t want to make those changes, “Myszewski said.

Myszewski said DeRosa suggested adding other countries’ flags in hearts around people’s hands and she agreed. She then worked with the school’s art teacher who helped coordinate the expansion of the design.

The students came during two working days after the last day of school. Myszewski said the project was 90% complete and told administration that students would finish it during the summer school.

But before the summer school started, the mural was covered with paper. Myszewski said neither she nor her students were informed of the cover-up.

According to Myszewski, DeRosa said the job was covered because it wasn’t finished and didn’t meet requirements. She had the students come for the next week to complete the project.

Two days later the mural was covered again. Like the first time, there was no communication with her or her students, Myszewski said.

Ruth Barratt, whose son Finn is transgender and is on the school’s Student Acceptance Team, was not happy with the decision.

“Cedarburg is a wealthy, very privileged district,” she said in a telephone interview on July 8th. “You have all the money, the resources, and the smart people in the district who you would think would make good decisions. You are very failing the children with this. Very bad indeed. ”

Tony DeRosa, Principal of Webster Middle School, Dan Reinert, Assistant Principal of Webster Middle School, and Ted Noll, Director of Student Services for Cedarburg School District, apologized in an email to the Now News Group, saying the mural is now is revealed.

“The covered mural sent a message that ANY of the content it contained is inappropriate and we are sorry about it. That was not our intention and we sincerely apologize,” the statement said in her statement.

The three said they appreciate the work of the Student Acceptance Team and that they are proud of the work of the group and are inspired by the support for the mural and the students. They also said the district has room to grow.

“We want to get even stronger, and we do that by being receptive and open to feedback, reflecting on our decisions and thinking ahead,” they wrote. “We will continue to grow and learn and continue to work to ensure that everyone feels valued and welcomed.”

In response, Myszewski said in an email that she was satisfied that the district had admitted its mistake, but that there was still much work to be done. She suggested that the district hire an equity director, conduct an equity review to find imbalances, and develop an equity plan.

“These types of activities are done in many North Shore counties, and Cedarburg should be no different,” Myszewski said.

She also suggested that the county government continue to educate themselves on LGBTQ + issues. She said the district’s statement only touched the issue of sexual identity, which relates to sexual acts by individuals. She said that sexual orientation, which relates to sexual attraction and romantic relationships, should also be included.

“We need to validate all individuals with different sexual orientations because there are flags on the mural that represent sexual orientation. We cannot leave out these flags, communities and individuals. There is always room to get better. As a forerunner for justice, I am still “continuing to challenge myself to get better for others. I hope Cedarburg can do the same, “Myszewski said.

Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ AlecJohnson12.

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