Wisconsin is becoming an unbearable place to live. Minority groups are under attack, and the Republicans at the helm are now going after the education system. Soon, teachers and library staff across Wisconsin may face prosecution.
Their crime? Allowing K-12 students to see certain books or materials.
This is all thanks to the new Republican legislative proposal to penalize educators for exposing kids to obscene materials. It comes out of a broader effort to restrict what K-12 students can ultimately see or read.
The bill had its day on December 5 before the Republican-led Assembly Committee on Education. Named AB-308, it will remove protections for school and library staff against being prosecuted for providing “obscene” materials to minors.
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Should it pass, the bill will create a new set of felons of school staff guilty of providing students with inappropriate content. Dr. Jill Underly is the state superintendent of public instruction.
She expressed concern about increased attacks on libraries and schools on X, formerly known as Twitter. Dr. Jill Underly, the state superintendent of public instruction, is unhappy with how things look. She expressed concern in an X post about increased attacks on libraries and schools.
“At this moment in our history, we need spaces to engage with new ideas and our history,” Underly’s post read. “We need it in the face of hate and increased threats and attempts at silencing. Libraries are a bastion of freedom of thought, expression, and creativity.”
Rep. Scott Allen (R-Waukesha) and Sen. Andre Jacque (R-DePere) are two of the strongest supporters of the bills.
“I’m grateful for the public hearing as many suggest that there are no obscene materials in our schools and that this bill is just about book bans and political agendas,” said Allen.
Akken believes that it is too easy for librarians and teachers to escape prosecution under the state’s obscene materials laws. This is to allow a free flow of literary and educational materials.
“It’s a simple, commonsense acknowledgment that all books and materials may not be appropriate for all kids of all age groups, particularly those with sexually explicit and perverse content,” said Jacque. “This is hardly an extreme or radical expectation.”
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Other people who support the bill are representatives of groups, including one called Gays Against Groomers and Wisconsin Family Action. Many republican members support the bill, but Democratic members of the committee have questioned various aspects of the bill.
Rep. Dave Considine (D-Baraboo) believes the bill will result in the state getting too involved in what different communities do, regardless of what those communities may want.
Legislative counsel has clarified that the bill will not make teachers criminally liable for what a district has told or allowed them to instruct. This will protect some, but a majority may leave Wisconsin for better places if this keeps up.
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