(The Center Square) – More people are asking more questions about how Wisconsin’s public school managers handle investigations into teachers accused of grooming or sexual misconduct.
The Institute for Reforming Government announced that it has filed a public records request with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction “seeking to uncover details surrounding the Department’s handling of teacher licenses for educators accused of misconduct and
grooming.”
IRG is just the latest to press DPI for answers about The Cap Times investigation and The Center Square’s follow up stories into teacher grooming. That investigation found that 200 teachers over a five-year period were allowed to walk away from a grooming or sexual misconduct investigation by simply resigning.
Some of those teachers found their way back to classrooms and schools.
“Every parent in Wisconsin places enormous trust in our schools and educators, and that trust is broken when misconduct is swept under the rug,” Jake Curtis, director of IRG’s Center for Investigative Oversight, said. “Our request demands transparency and oversight. The public has the right to know whether DPI’s leadership intentionally allowed abusers to remain in classrooms or turned a blind eye when they were quietly shuffled to other districts.”
Curtis said Wisconsin’s state superintendent, Jill Underly, needs to answer questions about DPI’s investigations as soon as possible.
She won’t be answering those questions today.
Underly has committed to a celebration at her alma mater Indiana University today, instead of attending the Wisconsin Assembly’s hearing on the investigation, DPI’s failures, and three pieces of legislation aimed at protecting students from predatory teachers.
