A petition of signatures from people of
the school district, above or equal to ten percent of the district student
population, have to be collected 120
days before a complaint, and a burden of proof must be placed on the complaint.
A hearing must be held by the Department of Administration’s Division of
Hearing Appeals, who has the decision.
Assembly speaker Robin Vos stated “These
changes are reasonable and address the concerns brought forth by all parties.
It puts the proper mechanism in place for appeals from the community without
putting an undue burden on school districts.”
The new regulations would allow a
mascot that can be seen as discriminating a particular group to remain as long
as less than ten percent of the student population do not object to it.
Barbara Munson, who backed the law that restricts the
race-based mascots states, "This particular law is not constitutional and
in fact is racist. This law is a form of discrimination."
Some believe that this new legislation will
actually allow an opportunity for a partnership between the tribes and the
school districts.
Sam Hall, a Mukwonago School District
attorney, commended the legislation, stating “This proposal strikes the right
balance in protecting the constitutional rights of local taxpayers and
preserving local control of schools, while also restating that racial
discrimination and harassment have no place in our schools”
A public hearing is scheduled for today.
