Relatives of the Obama family have settled a racial bias lawsuit against a private school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Former first lady Michelle Obama's brother and his wife filed a lawsuit in April 2022, which alleged that the University School of Milwaukee (USM) refused to re-enroll their children after the couple raised concerns about racism and inappropriate conduct at the school.
Craig and Kelly Robinson claimed the school terminated their then-9- and 11-year-old sons' contracts to reenroll for the 2021 to 2022 school year after the couple complained that teachers unfairly treated students of color and socioeconomically underrepresented students.
The Robinsons said that when their sons participated in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, they became aware of racial and ethnic stereotypes in school assignments.
Robinson Boys' School History
The couple's sons were in the third and fifth grades when their re-enrollment contracts were terminated. They had attended USM for roughly five years, the Robinsons told The Associated Press (AP) in an article from April 2022.
Craig Robinson said the boys were straight-A students and never got in trouble, according to the AP article.
USM enrolled 1,135 students for the 2024 to 2025 school year, which is not too far off from the number that the AP gave in April 2022—roughly 1,100 students each year.
What Has the School Said?
At the time, school officials said that its decision not to reenroll the boys had nothing to do with their parent's complaints.
The USM Head of School Steve Hancock, however, told the couple in a termination letter and in an email that the couple had repeatedly engaged in disrespectful communications with teachers and administrators.
When the lawsuit was filed, Hancock said in a statement that the enrollment decisions had nothing to do with complaints about inequity or discrimination. But he also said the school would not tolerate "persistently disrespectful, bullying, or harassing behavior" directed toward teachers and administrators.
Parties Reach a Settlement
The Robinsons and USM have issued a joint statement saying that they resolved their dispute. They also said that both sides regret that the disagreement resulted in the couple's sons no longer being enrolled at the school.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Thomas McAdams dismissed the lawsuit on Tuesday, according to online court records.
The Robinsons were seeking unspecified monetary damages in their lawsuit. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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