MADISON – State Representative Amanda Nedweski (R–Pleasant Prairie) announced today that she is in the process of drafting three separate bills to strengthen student safety and address incidences of sexual misconduct and grooming by school staff. The announcement follows a bombshell report from The Capital Times revealing that the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) concealed widespread sexual misconduct by educators from the public:
“The recent revelations by The Capital Times paint and alarming picture of what’s happening in our schools,” Nedweski said. “Every parent in Wisconsin deserves to believe that when they send their child to school, that child is safe. When educators abuse their positions of trust and prey upon students—and when state officials conceal those actions from the public—it’s a complete betrayal of that trust. Our students deserve protection, transparency, and accountability, not cover-ups that allow predators to remain in classrooms.”
The yearlong investigation by The Capital Times found that from 2018 to 2023, the Department of Public Instruction investigated more than 200 school staff members for sexual misconduct or grooming behaviors toward students. The report revealed that at least 44% of DPI’s 450-plus educator license investigations during this period involved sexual misconduct or grooming allegations. Most of these cases were concealed from the public, and in many instances, the educators involved were allowed to continue working with children despite active investigations.
“It is appalling that Jill Underly and the Department of Public Instruction would conceal this information from the public, allowing adults who have abused their positions of power to potentially continue to prey on children,” Nedweski added. “Instances like these hit close to home for so many of us—especially in the Kenosha Unified School District, following the recent sentencing of former Kenosha elementary school teacher Christian Enwright.”
Currently, Wisconsin has no criminal penalty for grooming written into state statute. This lack of clarity often prevents prosecutors from charging offenders, even when evidence of manipulative or predatory behavior is overwhelming.
“Since the Kenosha County Eye exposed Christian Enwright’s predatory behavior toward a student, I have been working on anti-grooming legislation that will establish harsh penalties for any adult convicted of grooming a minor for sexual activity,” Nedweski said. “This proposal will be modeled after comprehensive laws passed in other states and will give our law enforcement and prosecutors the tools they need to keep children safe.”
In addition to the anti-grooming bill, Rep. Nedweski is drafting legislation to require school districts to adopt clear policies outlining appropriate communication boundaries between staff and students, as well as a separate bill to close the DPI loophole that allows educators under investigation for sexual misconduct to surrender their teaching license to avoid further scrutiny.
“These bills will ensure that school districts are taking proactive steps to protect students from predatory behavior while holding those who abuse their authority accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Nedweski stated. “I look forward to working with my legislative colleagues, including Representative Lindee Brill, who chairs the Speaker’s Task Force on Protecting Kids, to get these reforms signed into law.”
Rep. Nedweski also announced plans to hold an informational hearing in the Assembly Committee on Government Operations, Accountability, and Transparency on the topic of sexual misconduct by school staff, in direct response to The Capital Times report. State Superintendent Jill Underly has been invited to testify at the hearing.
Rep. Nedweski represents the 32nd Assembly District, which includes the Town and Village of Bloomfield, Village of Bristol, Town of Brighton, Village of Genoa City, portions of Kenosha, portions of Lake Geneva, Village of Paddock Lake, Town of Paris, Village of Pleasant Prairie, Town of Randall, Village of Salem Lakes, Village of Twin Lakes, and the Town of Wheatland.
