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Priority Legislative Alert on Teacher Protection Act
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | October 25, 2017
The SAA is issuing a Priority Legislative Alert on the Teacher Protection Act.
As we reported earlier today, Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac), Chairman of the Assembly Education Committee, has circulated his “Teacher Protection Act” for co-sponsorship in the State Legislature. The SAA strongly opposes this proposed legislation, as do other education stakeholder groups and disability rights organizations. For your information, we are linking the bill draft and Representative Thiesfeldt’s co-sponsorship memo sent to his legislative colleagues.
We urge SAA members to take action now! Please contact your legislators and ask them not to sign on as co-sponsors of the Teacher Protection Act.
In your communication please consider using the talking points listed below as well as any of your own concerns about the bill based on your experiences and expertise.
Talking Points:
- All students and teachers deserve a safe environment for learning and teaching; overwhelmingly that is what Wisconsin schools provide.
- While we greatly appreciate the school mental health initiatives in the 2017-19 state budget, everyone involved recognizes that Wisconsin must do more to meet the needs of the growing number of students with significant mental health challenges. These challenges may contribute to volatile student behaviors that requires appropriate intervention and support.
- The bill expands mandatory reporting to law enforcement to include physical assaults which, in some cases, would remove a school district’s discretion to act in the best interest of the child.
- The bill expands the circle of access to certain juvenile records and risks infringement of the privacy rights of students.
- The bill empowers teachers to take actions against students (suspension, class removal) that may not conform to school board policies nor the normal chain of command in a school setting.
- Evidence suggests that legislation like this will likely affect students of color disproportionately and raises numerous legal and policy issues regarding the impact on students with disabilities.
- Contrary to our philosophy and the Wisconsin tradition, this bill emphasizes the rights of the adults working in schools above the best interests of students.
For your convenience in contacting your legislators, we have provided links to the Assembly Directory, the Senate Directory and Who Are My Legislators.
If you should have any questions please email me at. Thanks for listening and, as always, thank you for everything you do on behalf of Wisconsin school children.
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