MADISON, Wis. – A group of local moms is looking volunteers interested in supporting Madison East High School students as they continue their efforts to help curb violence at the school.
Following a series of fights, safety concerns, and behavioral incidents at the school last fall, members of Moms on a Mission stood outside the school almost every day during lunch period handing out snacks and making conversation with students.
“I watch them come down the street and rather than being on the lookout head on a swivel their singing their dancing their doing tiktoks by us,” said volunteer mom Kaziah Anderson. “They love the snacks but also they feel safe.
Madison schools spokesperson Tim Lemonds said since last November the climate at East high school has changed for the better after Moms on a Mission stepped in.
“Overnight, almost a lot of the tension was mitigated,” Lemonds said. “They were able to work with these families more on a person level, with these students more on a personal level.”
Anderson hopes to continue that work this fall but she said part of the problem is the sheer number of students, about 16 hundred of them sharing one lunch period, so Moms on a Mission wants the district to stagger the lunch period
Lemonds however said that wouldn’t work because it requires additional staff the district doesn’t have and it would interrupt club activities.
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“Then we are in a situation where we’re punishing our students who have been behaving well for the behavior of a few,” he said.
Still he said the district is looking forward to continue to work with the group to develop a path forward.
If you want to help Moms on a Mission but can’t staff the lunch period at East you can donate to their gofundme to buy snacks for the fall semester.
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