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Public commenters urge district action on accessibility at Mid City and inclusion of special-needs students in yearbook
Summary
At the June board meeting, a Quad Cities accessibility advocate announced a Title II ADA grievance for lack of safe pedestrian access to Mid City High School; a parent said Special Olympics athletes at West High were marginalized in the yearbook and urged the district to improve inclusion.
Scott McConnell, founder of Quad Cities Advocates, told the Davenport Community School District board that he filed a Title II ADA grievance on May 28 alleging Mid City High School lacks sidewalks and safe pedestrian access for students who approach without a car. "If you use a power chair like I do, you're completely barred from accessing the school property from the street," McConnell said, and he asked the district to coordinate with the city to ensure safe access.
A second speaker, identified only as Sherry, described her son Landon, a West High senior who competes in the Special Olympics, and criticized how the Special Olympics team and their achievements were represented in the school yearbook. "West High School is discriminatory, unjust, unfair, non-inclusive, and cruel," she said, describing only a small photo placed under "friends of the Falcons" and noting families received no professional photos for those athletes. She urged the board to "do better for the future of these children" and said she would be watching.
Why it matters: The comments raised civil-rights and inclusion concerns tied to both physical access and representation. The ADA grievance triggers a formal response timeline under city procedure, and public-yearbook practices implicate district culture, communication to families, and how extracurricular recognition is documented.
District response and next steps: Board members thanked the speakers and noted the concerns would be heard by administration; the superintendent and staff did not announce a specific remedial plan during the meeting. The ADA grievance timelines referenced by McConnell signal the city and district will engage in a formal review; the parent asked the board to consider steps to ensure more equitable yearbook practices going forward.
Context: Board open forum rules require speakers to provide a name and address and discourage allegations against individual employees; both commenters followed the public-comment procedure. The board did not take a formal vote related to either public comment during the meeting and did not announce an immediate policy change.
What to watch: Any administrative follow-up on the ADA grievance, updates to facility-access improvements at Mid City High School, or district guidance to yearbook staff or schools on inclusive representation of special-needs students.
