'Moral disaster': Wisconsin leaders want answers on teacher assault probe

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(The Center Square) – The leaders of Wisconsin’s Senate Committee on Education are demanding answers from the state’s Department of Public Instruction following a report showing that 200 investigations into teachers for sexual assault and grooming were shielded from the public.

Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie, said that she plans to draft three bills in response to the report to create a grooming law, standards for communication between students and faculty and to end a "loophole" where educators can surrender their teaching license rather than facing further investigation.

Senate Committee on Education Chair John Jagler and Vice Chair Romaine Quinn asked a series of 12 questions of DPI Superintendent Jill Underly and demanded to get a response within 24 hours on if she will be willing to testify before the committee.

"This simply cannot continue," the letter said. "Our committee will continue to investigate this issue and use any and all of our powers to find a resolution that will keep our kids safe. We demand to know within 24 hours if you will be willing to personally appear before our committee." 

The questions included when Underly was made aware of the 200 cases, why she believes she shouldn’t be directly responsible for addressing concerns in the report and if local law enforcement was notified of any of the investigations.

“Allowing teachers under investigation to simply resign to stop an in-depth probe of the alleged abuse is a moral disaster,” the letter stated. “We also wholeheartedly reject the attempt to pin this on the legislature due to an alleged lack of funding. The first dollar spent by DPI should be ensuring that our kids are safe. Full Stop.”

The Capital Times report showed that DPI investigated more than 200 cases involving teachers, aides, substitutes and administrators from 2018 to 2023 involving accusations of sexual misconduct or grooming toward students without revealing that those investigations occurred.

U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a Republican candidate for governor, told The Center Square through his campaign that citizens are asking the right questions in response to the report.

“Wisconsinites are rightly asking how these incidents could be hidden from the public, and the bottom line is that this is failed leadership, starting at the top with the so-called ‘education governor’ Tony Evers and his accomplices Sara Rodriguez and Mandela Barnes,” Tiffany said. “If an educator’s license is revoked or an investigation finds misconduct, the DPI should consistently track this information and establish a clear system for parents to know the truth, just as our state does for nurses and accountants.

“Educating children and prioritizing their safety should be DPI’s top responsibility, but instead, we have seen resources diverted to DEI initiatives and woke gender ideology in schools. As governor, I will ensure we have a transparent and honest system in place.”

Republican governor candidate Josh Schoemann, meanwhile, wrote that he believes Underly should resign and Attorney General Josh Kaul should open an investigation.

Nedweski said that there is no penalty for grooming currently in state statute, making it difficult for prosecutors to charge offenders "even when evidence of manipulative or predatory behavior is overwhelming."

Nedweski cited the case of Kenosha teacher Christian Enwright, who pleaded guilty to 12 misdemeanors for his conduct sending hundreds of Snapchat messages to a student that resulted in a sentence of 450 days in jail and three years of probation.

“Every parent in Wisconsin deserves to believe that when they send their child to school, that child is safe," Nedweski said in a statement. "When educators abuse their positions of trust and prey upon students—and when state officials conceal those actions from the public—it’s a complete betrayal of that trust. Our students deserve protection, transparency, and accountability, not cover-ups that allow predators to remain in classrooms.”

Nedweski said she will invite Underly to an informational hearing in the Assembly Committee on Government Operations, Accountability, and Transparency about sexual misconduct by school staff along with introducing the bills on communication boundaries and DPI investigations.

“These bills will ensure that school districts are taking proactive steps to protect students from predatory behavior while holding those who abuse their authority accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Nedweski said in a statement. “I look forward to working with my legislative colleagues, including Representative Lindee Brill, who chairs the Speaker’s Task Force on Protecting Kids, to get these reforms signed into law.”

Wisconsin's Joint Finance Committee worked on the state budget and reached a compromise with Gov. Tony Evers after Evers' initial budget proposal. Committee Co-Chair Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, told The Center Square that DPI failed in its duties and “failed our children, failed parents, and failed basic accountability," saying it shows a "systemic breakdown of leadership and oversight at DPI."

"Let me be absolutely clear: DPI bears direct responsibility for this structural failure," Born said. "It is not sufficient to say 'We do as much as we can with the resources and tools that we have,' and blame the Legislature despite that this has been going on for decades. Leadership matters—setting priorities, building systems of accountability and demanding transparency matter, and yet DPI’s leaders have repeatedly fallen short.”

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said in a statement that he is "beyond angry" and that the report shows it is "clear DPI has chosen to protect their abusers rather than the children."

“Instead of falsely blaming the legislature for underfunding the department and taking no responsibility in this matter, DPI and Dr. Underly should focus on stopping this revolving door of sexual abusers from entering and remaining in our schools," Vos said. "The lack of transparency is shocking and alarming.”

The Senate committee letter asked Underly:

• When were you personally made aware that more than 200 sexual assault cases were under investigation?

• You declined to be interviewed for this story, citing a “conflict of interest”. What is the conflict of interest and why shouldn’t the state’s top education official be directly responsible for addressing child safety and educator misconduct?

• Was local law enforcement contacted to help investigate any of these allegations? What policies are in place that would trigger when law enforcement is notified? Are there clear guidelines DPI staff follows in this regard?

• What statutory or administrative authority allows DPI to close cases through license surrender without a formal finding?

• Are local school districts notified when DPI begins an investigation? Is there a clear policy on when the local schools should be notified and are their guidelines on how immediate in the process that notification occurs? What records are kept at DPI recording these cases, including the cases where a staff member resigns or voluntarily gives up their license?

• What safeguards exist to prevent educators who resign or surrender licenses from re-applying at a later date?

• Are future districts warned when these staff apply for other jobs?

• Why are disciplinary outcomes for educators not published in the same manner as other professional licensing boards in Wisconsin? Shouldn’t transparency, when it comes to safety of our children, be a top priority?

• The DPI spokesman blamed this inadequate record keeping on a lack of funding. If this is accurate, why was this issue not addressed in your last budget request or voiced in your State of Education Speech?

• The story lists that of the 416 teachers investigated, 207 have kept their licenses and are continuing to work with children. What standard do you have to exonerate those under investigation?

• Does DPI have a written policy for how these cases are identified and how the department takes action to address them? Please provide our offices with any of these records.