News & Commentary

The district attorney in Juneau County has made an ill-advised attack on Wisconsin’s newly passed comprehensive sexuality education law. The Healthy Youth Act raises the state standards for human growth and development curricula. But the letter from District Attorney Southworth erroneously compares teaching the facts about reproduction and contraception to the sexual assault of children. “District Attorney Southworth has taken it upon himself to threaten possible prosecution of public school teachers in the county if they implement the new standards that require medically accurate and age-appropriate sex education,” said ACLU of Wisconsin Executive Director Christopher Ahmuty.

Today the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin asked Wisconsin State Senate majority leader, Russell Decker (D-Schofield), to schedule a vote on legislation to address discriminatory race-based school team nicknames, logos and mascots. Last Thursday, the Wisconsin Assembly passed an amended version of such legislation with bipartisan support.

The proposal to give MPS governance to the mayor is a scheme that won’t remedy Wisconsin’s failure to provide an adequate education to far too many of Milwaukee’s children. Rather than spending time and effort to push through a controversial takeover program, the Governor, Mayor and state legislators need to comply with the state Constitutional obligation to ensure that all Milwaukee children have equal opportunity in education.

Just because youth might not yet have the right to vote or have other privileges of legally recognized adulthood, all young people still have basic, constitutionally protected rights and freedoms. The ACLU dedicates resources to defending youth and educating students about their rights. Youth activists are also involved with the ACLU on issues related to free speech, LGBTQ, drug policy, sex education and health, as well as religious freedom.

Parents are the best advocates for the quality of their children’s education. The new comprehensive sexuality education law has provisions for parents to ask questions about sex ed classes, curriculum and teachers at their school. The attached questions are for parents to ask their children’s school leadership about how they are complying with the new, higher standards for comprehensive sexuality education.