Wisconsin lawmakers debated two Republican-backed bills aimed at strengthening school safety at Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) through implementing school resource officers (SROs), and requiring public schools across the state to provide quicker notice to parents if their child is a victim of sexual misconduct by a school employee at a public hearing Wednesday.
The bill, authored by Rep. Bob Donovan, R-Greenfield, and Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, would financially penalize MPS and the City of Milwaukee if they don’t comply with state law that requires police officers in schools. The bill aims to enforce 2023 Wisconsin Act 12’s requirement for MPS to have 25 SROs by Jan. 1, 2024.
The bill comes as the City of Milwaukee formally approved a memorandum of understanding Tuesday between MPS and the city concerning the enforcement of SROs in Milwaukee schools.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Donovan said it’s “unconscionable” that MPS took so long to follow through on the requirement.
“The biggest district, the one in my estimation that could benefit the most, has, along with the city, dragged their feet for 400 days. It’s absurd and the safety of our kids is in jeopardy,” Donovan said at Wednesday’s hearing. “While the reasons for this delay remain unclear, the violation of state law is undeniable.”
Donovan referenced a study done by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel which found that MPS districts averaged 3,700 calls to police a year from 149 MPS-associated addresses between September 2013 and July 2024.
The bill requires MPS to pay 75% of costs for the SROs and the City of Milwaukee to pay the remaining 25% within 30 days of becoming law.
“I think it's logical, the officers are going to be spending all of their time in the schools. So it's only fair that the schools pay a higher percentage of the cost to have them there — their professionalism and their expertise, the schools are benefiting from this,” Donovan told The Daily Cardinal. “There are a lot of districts around the state and the country that have similar 75-25 match.”
Donovan said they must both agree on the implementation and certify to the Legislature’s budget-writing committee that 25 SROs are indeed in MPS schools.
Milwaukee risks losing 10% of its shared revenue, and MPS risks losing 20% of its per-pupil aid if they continue to violate state law.
“To prevent the ongoing and future non-compliance, consequences must be in place,” Donovan said.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Wanggaard said Milwaukee County Judge David Borowski had issued court orders to ensure state law is followed.
The order, issued on Feb. 17, gave MPS and the city of Milwaukee 10 days to put SROs back in public schools. Additionally, it required a 50-50 cost share rather than the initial 25-75 and began fining the City of Milwaukee $1,000 per day until police officers are back in the schools.
During the hearing, Democratic lawmakers questioned the discrepancy between the 50-50 payment implemented by Barowski and the one in the bill. Wanggaard said the bill would assign a larger share of the cost to MPS because based on conversations he’s had with Milwaukee leaders, he places the blame “almost entirely on MPS.”
Assembly Bill 74
The committee also discussed a bill authored by Sen. Cory Tomczyk, R-Mosinee, and Rep. Benjamin Franklin, R-De Pere, that would require public schools across the state to provide quicker notice to parents if their child is a victim of sexual misconduct by a school employee.
The bill also would mandate school boards to provide information on accessing employee discipline records.
“Testimonies highlighted the urgency of immediate parental notification to support victims and prevent re-victimization,” Tomczyk said.
Under this bill, school districts would have to notify parents no later than the end of the day that the school board receives an alleged sexual misconduct report. Reports are considered received if it is received by the assistant principal, principal, assistant school district superintendent, school district superintendent or school district administrator, according to Tomczyk.
Franklin referred to a report by the U.S. Department of Education which estimates that one in 10 children experience some form of sexual misconduct by school employees. He noted that victims of sexual misconduct experience lifelong impacts to their mental and emotional health, including low self esteem, depression, anxiety and suicide.
The bill ensures parents have the opportunity to quickly file a Title IX complaint — a federal law that’s already in place. If a school waits to notify the parent of the complaint, the school may be found to be deliberately indifferent and in violation of Title IX, according to Franklin.
“Timely notification is essential in ensuring this despicable misconduct does not continue to occur, and the child can receive the support they need,” Franklin said.
Tomczyk said waiting longer than a day for a report to be received affects the victim's ability to seek counseling and do what they need to do in order to begin the process of healing.
“It is unfortunate that we have to pass such a bill, but I believe that it is important to give parents peace of mind knowing that if unspeakable crimes happen to their child, they will be alerted immediately,” Tomczyk said.
