MICDS teachers and staff have had numerous conversations with members of our community since Friday in an effort to identify and partner with the organizers of the advertised “Walk for Black Lives” event. We have found no evidence to suggest that any current MICDS student or employee was involved in planning the event, nor that any representative of the Black Lives Matter movement was involved. Because we have not been able to identify and partner with the organizers of the event, our campus will remain closed to the event on Sunday. Any event that is hosted on our campus must comply with City of Ladue regulations and St. Louis County Department of Public Health orders governing public gatherings. In the absence of communication and planning efforts in partnership with the “Walk for Black Lives” event organizers, we cannot ensure its compliance with these government ordinances. MICDS does not oppose the stated goals of the event to appreciate and celebrate the black members of our community, and we regret any inference to the contrary. Our teachers and staff endeavor constantly to make MICDS a place of love, advocacy, and hope in our students’ lives and in the lives of their families, and we are particularly mindful of the hurt that many of our black students and families are experiencing at this time and are committed to supporting them. We remain open to conversations and partnership with anyone who seeks to join us in furthering love, advocacy, and hope in our community, our nation, and our world.
