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Madison School District spotlights Unified Sports as districtwide inclusion effort
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Cook and staff outlined Madison's Unified Sports program, its history in the district, upcoming Unified Day on May 28, and challenges recruiting peer partners and registering students; officials also described an adult Unified Fitness Club and cross-district collaborations.
Madison — The Madison School District highlighted its Unified Sports program Tuesday night in a superintendent'led presentation that traced the program's local history, described current offerings from elementary through high school and flagged practical hurdles to growth.
Dr. Cook opened the superintendent's report by framing Unified Sports as part of inclusive education and IEP planning, saying the district must "think about extracurricular activities and including students" when writing individualized education plans. The presentation showed the program's evolution from small, school-based activities to districtwide offerings and interscholastic events run in partnership with the CIAC and neighboring districts.
Program organizers described elementary initiatives — leadership groups, a unified pledge and an annual unified day — and cited Ryerson's past recognition for inclusion. The presenters said this year's elementary Unified Day is scheduled for May 28 and is expected to involve Brown and Mac elementary schools. High-school offerings include volleyball, cornhole, basketball and track; Polson has recently moved Unified from club to official athletic status with three seasons.
The presentation named staff and volunteers who coordinate teams and events, including Don Perreault, Megan Colocepher, Diane DeMilio, Jamie Nacera and Kerry Tucker, and credited Don Parrott for the Unified Theater program where students write and perform original plays. Officials also announced a new Unified Sports Fitness Club for young adults run by former staff member Melissa Hurley and parent Kim Miyahara.
Speakers acknowledged participation challenges, particularly recruiting peer partners since COVID-related disruptions. One program lead said the district used in-school Phase/life-skills time to bring peers in during the day and recommended broader outreach to high-school coaches and students to boost volunteer peer participation. Board members also flagged a registration barrier: the Pulsar system currently prevents a student from enrolling in more than one sport at a time, which blocks simultaneous enrollment in unified and competitive teams.
Student representative Grace, who gave the student report earlier in the meeting, noted a calendar full of testing and events and told the board she had committed to Duke University. "Duke has always been my dream school," she said, thanking Madison Public Schools for supporting her path.
The district asked staff to confirm which elementary school will host the May 28 unified event; speakers said they believed it would be Brown but would verify with staff member Craig. The presentation concluded with board encouragement for improved outreach and administrative fixes to registration forms.
Next steps: staff will confirm the unified-day location and explore solutions to remove Pulsar enrollment barriers and broaden peer recruitment across the high school population.
