AB693 – the “Teacher Protection Act"
Please see below update from Wisconsin Family Ties Policy Director Joanne Juhnke regarding a Thursday press conference and public hearing of the so-called "Teacher Protection Act". NAMI Wisconsin joined forces in November with multiple other disability advocates to oppose this bill through a joint sign-on letter. Please see the below links to the Wheeler Report, FB invite and action alert. Please feel free to forward to your networks.
http://www.thewheelerreport.com/wheeler_docs/files/1006wft.pdf
http://www.thewheelerreport.com/wheeler_docs/files/1130wft.pdf
http://www.thewheelerreport.com/wheeler_docs/files/1006wft.pdf
http://www.thewheelerreport.com/wheeler_docs/files/1130wft.pdf
From: Joanne Juhnke <joanne@wifamilyties.org>
Date: Tue, Jan 9, 2018 at 9:29 AM
Subject: Updated ACTION ALERT: Opportunity to testify against AB693 ("Teacher Protection Act"): Public Hearing 9am, Thu. Jan. 11, State Capitol
UPDATED ACTION ALERT (please forward widely)
Attend a pre-hearing press conference, and testify against AB693 – the “Teacher Protection Act”
Press conference: Thu. Jan. 11, 8:30am, 415 NW, State Capitol
Public Hearing in the Assembly Judiciary Committee; Thu. Jan. 11, 9:00am, 417N (GAR), State Capitol (note the room change!)Facebook invitation online at:
https://www.facebook.com/event s/677364722653577/
Has your child ever responded to anxiety or overwhelming stress at school with a meltdown that included hitting or kicking or pushing? Do you work with or care about students who struggle with such mental health-related behavior difficulties?
Under the so-called “Teacher Protection Act,” AB693, authored by Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac), any adult at school who saw such an incident could request that the principal report your child to law enforcement for assault – and the principal would have to do it, whether or not the behavior was disability-related.
Rather than improving safety by providing needed supports and services, the bill would impose consequences which already have serious negative impacts on students with mental health challenges and other disabilities: suspension and increased law enforcement involvement in school discipline.
ACTION STEP: Attend the press conference, then testify against the “Teacher Protection Act” (AB693)!
In person:
**NEW** Pre-Hearing Press Conference: Thu. Jan. 11, 8:30 AM 415NW, State Capitol
Public hearing: Thu. Jan. 11, 9:00 AM 417N (GAR) **NOTE UPDATED ROOM NUMBER**
Testimony will likely be limited to 2 minutes.
Via email:
Send testimony to Rep.OttJ@legis.wisconsin.gov as well as to your own legislators (find your legislators’ contact information at http://legis.wisconsin.gov/ )
Your testimony could include points such as:
• How it could impact your child if teachers were encouraged to report disability-related behavior to law enforcement and increase suspensions.
• To improve safety for students with mental health challenges and their teachers, we should provide supports and services and training to meet their needs. The new school mental health funding in the state budget was welcome but the need is far greater.
• Students with mental health challenges are already over-represented in the juvenile justice system, and AB693expands mandatory reporting to law enforcement without taking disability-related behavior into account. Wisconsin already has the 3rd-highest rate in the nation of school referral of students with disabilities to law enforcement; AB693 would result in even more criminalization of disability-related behaviors.
• Suspension does nothing to teach students to improve their social and emotional skills, yet children with emotional/ behavioral disabilities in Wisconsin are suspended at a rate 11 times that of their non-disabled peers. AB693 would encourage increased use of suspension.
• AB693 risks student privacy rights by expanding school access to juvenile arrest records, requiring law enforcement to inform schools about off-campus incidents involving students before the student has been found guilty or not guilty.
AB693 is online at http://bit.ly/2017AB693
Questions? Contact Joanne Juhnke, Wisconsin Family Ties Policy Director, joanne@wifamilyties.org
Joanne Juhnke
Policy Director
Direct: 608.261.0532 | Mobile: 608.320.6165
Wisconsin Family Ties, Inc. |16 N. Carroll Street, Suite 230 | Madison, WI 53703
608.267.6800 | 800.422.7145 | wifamilyties.org
Date: Tue, Jan 9, 2018 at 9:29 AM
Subject: Updated ACTION ALERT: Opportunity to testify against AB693 ("Teacher Protection Act"): Public Hearing 9am, Thu. Jan. 11, State Capitol
UPDATED ACTION ALERT (please forward widely)
Attend a pre-hearing press conference, and testify against AB693 – the “Teacher Protection Act”
Press conference: Thu. Jan. 11, 8:30am, 415 NW, State Capitol
Public Hearing in the Assembly Judiciary Committee; Thu. Jan. 11, 9:00am, 417N (GAR), State Capitol (note the room change!)Facebook invitation online at:
https://www.facebook.com/event s/677364722653577/
Has your child ever responded to anxiety or overwhelming stress at school with a meltdown that included hitting or kicking or pushing? Do you work with or care about students who struggle with such mental health-related behavior difficulties?
Under the so-called “Teacher Protection Act,” AB693, authored by Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac), any adult at school who saw such an incident could request that the principal report your child to law enforcement for assault – and the principal would have to do it, whether or not the behavior was disability-related.
Rather than improving safety by providing needed supports and services, the bill would impose consequences which already have serious negative impacts on students with mental health challenges and other disabilities: suspension and increased law enforcement involvement in school discipline.
ACTION STEP: Attend the press conference, then testify against the “Teacher Protection Act” (AB693)!
In person:
**NEW** Pre-Hearing Press Conference: Thu. Jan. 11, 8:30 AM 415NW, State Capitol
Public hearing: Thu. Jan. 11, 9:00 AM 417N (GAR) **NOTE UPDATED ROOM NUMBER**
Testimony will likely be limited to 2 minutes.
Via email:
Send testimony to Rep.OttJ@legis.wisconsin.gov as well as to your own legislators (find your legislators’ contact information at http://legis.wisconsin.gov/ )
Your testimony could include points such as:
• How it could impact your child if teachers were encouraged to report disability-related behavior to law enforcement and increase suspensions.
• To improve safety for students with mental health challenges and their teachers, we should provide supports and services and training to meet their needs. The new school mental health funding in the state budget was welcome but the need is far greater.
• Students with mental health challenges are already over-represented in the juvenile justice system, and AB693expands mandatory reporting to law enforcement without taking disability-related behavior into account. Wisconsin already has the 3rd-highest rate in the nation of school referral of students with disabilities to law enforcement; AB693 would result in even more criminalization of disability-related behaviors.
• Suspension does nothing to teach students to improve their social and emotional skills, yet children with emotional/ behavioral disabilities in Wisconsin are suspended at a rate 11 times that of their non-disabled peers. AB693 would encourage increased use of suspension.
• AB693 risks student privacy rights by expanding school access to juvenile arrest records, requiring law enforcement to inform schools about off-campus incidents involving students before the student has been found guilty or not guilty.
AB693 is online at http://bit.ly/2017AB693
Questions? Contact Joanne Juhnke, Wisconsin Family Ties Policy Director, joanne@wifamilyties.org
Joanne Juhnke
Policy Director
Direct: 608.261.0532 | Mobile: 608.320.6165
Wisconsin Family Ties, Inc. |16 N. Carroll Street, Suite 230 | Madison, WI 53703
608.267.6800 | 800.422.7145 | wifamilyties.org
