WI: Assembly lawmakers pass school crime bills, uphold conversion therapy
The Wisconsin Assembly passed two school crime bills and retained a rule change that restores the discredited practice of using conversion therapy to try to change LGBTQ people’s sexual orientation or gender identity during a Tuesday floor session.
Republican lawmakers passed a pair of bills that would require schools to report data on crimes and, if the number of incidents reaches a certain threshold, to hire school resource officers. The first bill, Assembly Bill 53, passed 61-53 and would require public and private high schools to report data on crimes and incidents that occur on their property.
“This is a tool that parents deserve and that community members deserve so they can find out what’s going on and see how safe their kids are at school,” Rep. Cindi Duchow (R-Town of Delafield) said during a press conference before the session. She cited recent incidents in Wauwatosa, where the school board is reviewing discipline policies in response to several school fights, as evidence for why the bill is needed.
Democrats criticized the bill, saying it wouldn’t contribute to helping keep kids safe in school. Deb Andraca (D-Whitefish Bay) said the bill was profoundly disappointing and parents wouldn’t benefit. She said lawmakers should instead be looking at different programs to stop crime before it happens, rather than sending “unfunded busy work” to already understaffed schools.
https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/assembly-lawmakers-pass-school-crime-bills-uphold-conversion-therapy
