At the ACLU of Wisconsin, we care deeply about the well-being of students throughout Wisconsin and want to ensure that their rights are protected.
If you are experiencing discrimination at your school, you should contact the school district to determine the complaint procedure.
Video: How to report discrimination in schools
A nationwide attempt to censor discussions of race in the classroom is underway. Critical race theory is an academic concept and practice that recognizes systemic racism is deeply ingrained in American society and examines how our systems promote inequality.
The ACLU of Wisconsin gave testimony in opposition of bills that threaten the teaching of meaningful racial history education to Wisconsin students.
Other issues
Juvenile justice
Youth are still developing, so as a result, society treats children and adults very differently in several contexts, such as driving and serving in the military. Yes, in the criminal justice system, we treat youth as adults.
Spyware in Schools
We have been receiving assistance regarding the computer spyware being used in various schools. We agree that this could be a serious problem, especially if the spyware can access non-school-related materials and/or if it is installed on a computer that people other than the student uses.
Students and parents can try to organize other students and families to oppose spyware. Here are some examples involving schools and colleges, which may provide ideas you wish to replicate. This includes a recent successful campaign in Montclair, NJ, to halt the use of spyware.
- https://www.montclairlocal.news/2021/03/02/hundreds-petition-against-monitoring-montclair-students-with-goguardian/
- https://www.montclairlocal.news/2021/03/08/montclair-schools-halt-use-of-goguardian-monitoring-for-now/
- https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7wxvd/students-are-rebelling-against-eye-tracking-exam-surveillance-tools
- https://www.vice.com/en/article/7k9ag4/schools-are-abandoning-invasive-proctoring-software-after-student-backlash
- http://www.laschoolreport.com/teacher-cams-could-revolutionize-education-after-the-pandemic-ends-but-some-critics-see-a-massive-student-privacy-risk/
How to engage
If you want to find more information about how to engage your local school board members on this (or other) topics, you can check out our online toolkit.
