Earlier this year, dozens of students at Oak Creek East Middle School put down their backpacks and walked out the front doors, saying they were done quietly enduring racist harassment and brushed-off complaints. The protest, students and parents said, came after yet another incident in which classmates used racial slurs and taunts that left students shaken. Organizers said they spent the night before making signs, then rallied outside the school the next morning to push for what they called real, lasting change inside the building.
According to TMJ4 News, eighth-grader McKenzie McCoy said another student followed her and her friends around saying, "Oh I'm going to call the KKK on you guys," and McKenzie's mother, Patrice McCoy, told reporters her daughter also heard the n-word. Patrice McCoy said that when she met with school administrators, she left feeling dismissed after being told her daughter could stay home for the rest of the year. Students and families said that response might remove one child from harm but does nothing to confront what they describe as a broader pattern that has been allowed to continue.
Students describe years of harassment
Students told TMJ4 News that the racist taunts and slurs did not start this year. Eighth-grader Sofia Rojo said she has faced "multiple cases of racism" since sixth grade, while seventh-grader Daniel Navarro said the mistreatment has worn him down so much that he is transferring schools. Two classmates said peers accused of using slurs were given detention, a punishment they argued was nowhere near enough given the harm caused.
School data and district messaging
The Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District highlights East Middle's 2024-25 "Exceeds Expectations" rating on its website, even as state data show a racially mixed student body that parents say needs stronger protections. According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's report card, the school is roughly two-thirds White with nearly 19% Hispanic students, and the report tracks measures such as chronic absenteeism and English-learner rates that families say shape how incidents are handled. Parents said the gap between polished performance metrics and what their kids report experiencing in the hallways is exactly why they are demanding a clear, public plan for equity and safety.
Parents and students said they want clearer reporting channels, firmer and more consistent disciplinary steps, and structured conversations between families and district leaders. Community members said they plan to keep pressing for concrete timelines and transparency from the district on how it will prevent and respond to racist behavior. Hoodline will continue monitoring the district's response and update this story as officials outline next steps.
