March 31, 2020 9:40p; Updated 4-1 3:15p
(WGTD)---There reportedly has been a reversal of a decision to prohibit the Kenosha Education Justice Coalition from holding a public meeting on school safety issues at the Civil War Museum.
The town hall-styled forum was scheduled for Friday night in response to a recent incident at Lincoln Middle School in which a school security officer placed a knee on the neck of a student. The Coalition is questioning whether on or off-duty police officers should be patrolling school hallways on a regular basis.
After initially welcoming the Coalition, museum staff then disallowed the meeting, purportedly out of concern that some Coalition members might use the meeting to lobby support for one or more school board candidates that are on Tuesday's ballot.
Coalition members cried foul. Kendra Koeppen Mulwana, Executive Director of the Kenosha Education Association, said she had assured museum staff in an email that while audience members would be encouraged to vote on Tuesday no endorsements would be made nor would any candidates be allowed to speak.
Museum staff Friday then said they would allow the group to hold the event, but Koeppen Mulwana, in an email to WGTD, said the discussion will be rescheduled to maximize attendance and avoid any confusion that might exist because of the flip-flop.
A 4:30 p.m. news conference that was planned to take place outside the of the museum in advance of the now-canceled forum remains on the schedule. She invited members of the public to attend that event.
School security officer issues is an item that’s expected to be on an upcoming agenda of the school board.
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