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Teachers Gone Wild: Wisconsin legislation defines sexual grooming in wake of report on DPI's handling of teacher misconduct
From JSOnline:
Molly Beck
Molly Beck
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
MADISON - The sexual grooming of children would be a felony crime in Wisconsin under a new bill from Republican lawmakers.
The proposal comes as State Superintendent Jill Underly is under scrutiny over how the state education department handles allegations of grooming and sexual misconduct by licensed school staff.
The focus comes after the Capital Times reported on 200 cases of such incidents since 2018, including instances of teachers who were able to later reapply for a license.
The details of the cases were not proactively made public beyond being made available for review for anyone who files a request under the state's public records law.
A new bill authored by Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie, and Sen. Jesse James, R-Thorp, defines grooming in state law — a move law enforcement, Gov. Tony Evers and Department of Public Instruction officials have said would help to go after culprits.
"As a mom, I know the extent of trust that parents place in the people who care for their children," Nedweski said in a statement. "When that trust is betrayed and those adults prey on our children’s innocence, the consequences should be severe and certain."
The proposal bans anyone from engaging in "a course of conduct, pattern of behavior, or series of acts with the intention to condition, seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a child" for the purpose of engaging in sexual intercourse or sexual contact, or to create and distribute child pornography. The draft bill provides examples of such behavior that could constitute grooming, including "verbal comments, suggestions, or conversations of a sexual nature," "inappropriate or sexualized physical contact," or "written, electronic, or digital communications" aimed at seducing, soliciting, luring, enticing or isolating a child.
If convicted, a person could face between 10 and 25 years in prison, depending on who the person is to the child and whether the child has a disability, among other factors that could increase penalties. Those convicted of grooming would be required to register with the Department of Corrections as a sex offender.
According to an analysis from the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau, the crime does not apply to a person who is 18 or under if it involves a child who is not more than four years younger than the person unless theviolation involves force, coercion, or abuse of a position of trust or authority over the child.
James, a Cadott police officer, said the stories detailed in the Capital Times story prompted him to pursue the legislation.
"While I am proud to join my colleagues in authoring this bill, I am disgusted by the stories that have made legislation like this so necessary," he said.
Since the Capital Times story was published last month, Republican lawmakers have called on Underly to overhaul the DPI's approach to investigating teacher licensing to be more transparent. One Republican candidate for governor called on Underly to resign.
Underly has disputed some of the reporting and has asked the publication for a public correction.
Lawmakers on Oct. 23 held a public hearing in the state Capitol to hear testimony from Kenosha law enforcement officials about their experience with investigating such situations and to question DPI officials about their actions to keep dangerous teachers away from children.
Members of the committee from both political parties criticized Underly for choosing to accept an alumni award at Indiana University instead of appearing before the committee to answer questions about student safety for the public that have arisen because of the Capital Times reporting.
Chris Bucher, a spokesman for DPI, said in response to the criticism that Underly "takes the responsibility of protecting Wisconsin students seriously."
"She is willing to discuss licensing processes that protect students and to engage in constructive discussions on how to strengthen those protections further," Bucher said at the time.
Bucher did not immediately say whether Underly supported the new bill. A spokeswoman for Evers did not immediately say whether he would sign the proposal into law.
On Oct. 28, Evers told reporters a bill to define grooming in state law would help to deter offenders.
"(If) they come up with a way to define grooming that gives lawmakers or gives police officers and local people a way to (address it)? Well, that would be a huge thing," Evers said. "I don't think it exists in many places in the country, so we'll just continue to do the best we can to make sure that kids are taken care of. But this issue is really difficult because there's no really good definition of what's grooming, and that's the basis of it."
The proposal is being circulated among lawmakers for co-sponsorship and has not yet been formally introduced.
Nedweski and state Sen. Romaine Quinn, R-Birchwood, also have drafted a second proposal that would require school boards to develop policies on appropriate communication between students and school staff or school volunteers during the school day or outside of school hours.
Laura Schulte of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.
Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.
Drone technology helping MPPD operate faster, safer
From The Journal Times.com:
Milana Doné
Milana Doné
MOUNT PLEASANT — The Mount Pleasant Police Department has upgraded its drone program to facilitate speed and efficiency within the department.
In late 2024, Spectrum and local law enforcement agencies discussed the benefits of drones, including quickly and efficiently conducting search and rescue, locating missing persons, photographing and mapping crime scenes, providing situational awareness during special events and aiding in the apprehension of subjects.
Spectrum donated $11,600 to the department earlier this year for the purchase a drone for outdoor use.
The new drone, which replaced a first-generation model, features a wide-angle and zoom camera, as well as infrared and thermal imaging.
During a demonstration Oct. 29, Chief Robert Botsch cited the drone’s maximum speed of 51 mph.
“In public safety, seconds matter,” Botsch said. “Drones provide officers the ability to get immediate eyes on a problem or concern and provide instant feedback to the officers.”
The department also has two indoor drones, which were purchased over the summer.
The drones are used during special events, for locating a missing person and for clearing buildings prior to officers entering.
During the demonstration, the outdoor drone was able to find an actor in a nearby field using thermal imaging despite the person blending in with the tall grass.
An officer at the police department was able to see the image from the drone and communicate with an officer and K9 about the actor’s location.
A handful of MPPD officers are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration to operate the outdoor drone and others are being trained. The department hopes to to have a dozen officers who are FAA certified.
The Racine County Sheriff’s Office and Caledonia Police Department also have the same model of outdoor drone, so the agencies can work together.
“When yours comes down, if you have a partnership with somebody else, theirs goes up and you overlap,” Botsch said. “We recently worked with Caledonia on that where I knew ours had to come down so Caledonia put theirs up about two minutes before ours came down, and we never lost coverage.”
Drones for interior use are much smaller, lighter and do not require FAA certification, so more officers will be trained to operate them.
Drones are an extension of the police, meaning officers still need consent or a search warrant to send a drone into a home, Botsch said.
“Using drones to enter uncleared, high-risk areas helps identify concealed threats in advance of police K9s and officers entering the room, minimizing risk,” Botsch said. “Bottom line: we can cover more ground from the air than we can with an officer on foot or in a car. This technology helps us to be faster, smarter and safer, which ultimately makes us better.”
Monday, November 3, 2025
Trump administration says it will restore partial SNAP funding for programs like Wisconsin's FoodShare
From JSOnline:
Molly Beck
Molly Beck
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
MADISON - The Trump administration said Monday it would provide partial funding for food assistance programs that are set to go dormant while the federal government shutdown continues.
The administration reversed itself on whether to release the funding after two federal judges ruled it must use contingency funds to pay for benefits for food programs, including Wisconsin's FoodShare, while the government remains shut down.
It was not immediately clear how the partial payments would be distributed in Wisconsin. A spokeswoman for Gov. Tony Evers did not immediately return a phone call from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
In Wisconsin, about 700,000 Wisconsinites receive benefits from the state program known as FoodShare. As of September, the benefits totaled $115.8 million. About 270,000 recipients are children.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture initially advised that $3 billion in contingency funding could be used for administrative costs and benefit payments in the event of a shutdown. But then on Oct. 24, the agency issued a new memo saying funding cannot legally be used for such purposes.
Attorneys general in 25 states, including Wisconsin, and a group of city officials and nonprofit groups filed two lawsuits to compel the Trump administration to use the available funding. The federal judges overseeing those lawsuits sided with the plaintiffs.
Evers on Friday declared a state of emergency in Wisconsin over the FoodShare funding lapse, directing state officials to police price gouging and to suspend state rules that he says would hinder the state's response.
Evers' office said that, unlike in other states, the Wisconsin governor cannot unilaterally spend state funds on federal programs that do not already have an appropriation.
State lawmakers must vote to create an appropriation to direct state funds to the program, or expand an existing appropriation, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau. Republican leaders of both legislative houses have indicated they are not supportive of the idea.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Molly Beck can be reached at molly.beck@jrn.com.
Racine police investigating two fatal weekend shootings
From The Journal Times.com:
Milana Doné
Milana Doné
RACINE — The Racine Police Department is investigating two homicides that occurred over the weekend.
About 4:17 a.m. Saturday, officers responded to the 400 block of 10th Street after a report of shots fired.
At the scene, officers learned that a 26-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound had arrived at Ascension All Saints Emergency Room.
The man died as a result of his injuries.
About 5:28 p.m. Sunday, officers responded to the 1100 block of Washington Avenue after a report of shots fired.
They found man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
He was taken to Ascension All Saints Emergency Room, where he died as a result of his injuries.
RPD is asking anyone with additional information about these incidents to call the Investigations Unit at 262-635-7756.
Those who wish to remain anonymous may contact Crime Stoppers at 262-636-9330 or through the P3 Tips app.
Sunday, November 2, 2025
JT transitioning to e-edition only on Mondays beginning Nov. 3
From The Journal Times.com:
Starting Monday, The Journal Times will have a Tuesday-Sunday print schedule. You can read Monday’s news in our E-edition, a replica of the printed paper, at journaltimes.com/eedition. You’ll find the puzzles and comics there, too. As always, you can find the latest news, sports and entertainment at journaltimes.com. Our E-edition, website and app are included in your print subscription. If you haven’t created an account, you can do so at journaltimes.com/users/login.
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