In Madison, Wisconsin, a lawsuit initiated by Craig and Kelly Robinson, the brother and sister-in-law of former First Lady Michelle Obama, has reached a resolution. The couple filed the lawsuit in 2022 against the University School of Milwaukee, contending that their children were denied re-enrollment after they expressed concerns about issues related to racism and inappropriate behavior within the school environment.

The Robinsons claimed that the school chose not to renew the enrollment contracts for their sons, who were aged 9 and 11 at the time, for the 2021-2022 academic year due to their complaints regarding the treatment of students of color and those from underrepresented socioeconomic backgrounds. They cited incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic when their sons were receiving virtual instruction, through which they noticed the presence of racial and ethnic stereotypes in the school assignments.

Officials at the University School of Milwaukee maintained that the decision to not re-enroll the Robinson children was unrelated to the concerns raised by the family. However, Head of School Steve Hancock communicated to the Robinsons, through both a termination letter and an email, that they had been involved in disrespectful interactions with the school staff. Hancock reiterated that the school’s enrollment decisions were not influenced by complaints regarding discrimination but emphasized that the institution would not allow any form of bullying or disrespectful behavior towards its teachers and administrators.

Recent developments revealed that Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Thomas McAdams has dismissed the lawsuit as of Tuesday. Following this, both the Robinson family and the school released a joint statement announcing that they had come to an agreement, expressing mutual regret over the situation that led to their children being withdrawn from the school.

Details of the settlement have not been made public, although the Robinsons were seeking damages, the specifics of which remain undisclosed.