Public education in Milwaukee has long served as a critical support system for children growing up in low-income, under-resourced neighborhoods. But in recent years, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) has faced a troubling decline in student attendance and rising concerns about student safety. The lack of resources, staffing shortages, and the daily realities many children face outside the classroom have created barriers that schools alone cannot overcome. Many students in Milwaukee live in environments shaped by poverty, violence, and limited community support. Exposure to trauma, unstable housing, negative peer influences, and racial disparities in access to opportunity all contribute to the challenges they carry with them into school. These issues have become so severe that they are altering students’ decision-making and their ability to learn. Milwaukee Public School Superintendent, Dr. Brenda Cassellius, explains, “Children are very traumatized now, way more than they used to be, which then impacts their decision making.”
When Dr. Cassellius first arrived in Milwaukee, she was shocked by the scale of violence affecting children. “I was completely floored and very saddened,” she said. She recalled sitting in one of her first board meetings in March, listening to staff read the names of children who had died. By her next meeting in May, more names were added. When she asked how many children had died that year, she was told 21, but the number continued to rise, eventually reaching nearly 30. “By June, I was like, what is going on here? This is a health crisis.” What stunned her even more was the lack of public attention. “I was absolutely floored. There didn’t seem to be the same level of urgency around the fact that I had one child that just had elevated blood levels… but almost 30 children who have lost their lives and not the same kind of outpouring? I was just not okay with that, so I started talking about it.” Dr. Cassellius emphasizes that these tragedies are not just school issues, but community issues. Yet MPS still sees itself as responsible for supporting families, sharing information, and working closely with city partners.
One of the biggest factors she identifies is the availability of guns. “These children would not be dying if there were not this many guns on the street,” she said, noting that Wisconsin’s gun laws are among the weakest in the country. MPS distributes gun locks, educates parents on their rights to check their children’s belongings, and collaborates with police to keep weapons out of schools. “Kids aren’t getting access to weapons at school,” she explains, pointing out that schools use scanners and heightened security measures. In addition to gun access, Dr. Cassellius cites a lack of awareness about safe weapon storage, harmful media influences, and changes in how young people resolve conflict. “Where disagreements used to be verbal… now there is online bullying, which is part of the violence,” she said. Some believe Milwaukee’s high segregation and unequal distribution of resources deepen these challenges.
To address student needs, MPS relies on a network of programs and partnerships, including Speak Up Speak Out, community organizations, mental-health providers, social workers, counselors, and school resource officers. The district has increased school security, strengthened emergency procedures, and worked to “harden” buildings against external threats. But Dr. Cassellius believes the work must go beyond response; communities must value these children: “These children’s lives matter and memorializing them matters.”…