Last Updated on August 18, 2022
On Tuesday, a Wisconsin school district moved to ban the display of political and religious propaganda in classrooms. Both the school board and the district superintendent also voted to discontinue the use of preferred pronouns in school-related emails. Both pride and Black Lives Matter material will not be allowed under the new measures, which has sparked outrage among leftists.
The school board in Kettle Moraine, Wisconsin — which is located about an hour from Milwaukee — voted unanimously in favor of the new measures. In addition to the banning of political symbols popular among leftist teachers, faculty and staff are prohibited from including preferred pronouns in school emails.
“We live in a world where politics are highlighted, and it puts people in uncomfortable positions,” superintendent Stephen Plum said earlier this month. “I feel the staff can fully support students. I feel that every staff member, custodian and teacher ought to know that it’s really in the best interest of the students to look out for them and to have strong, healthy relationships that develop therefrom.”
The school board ultimately backed Plum’s position in a near unanimous despite significant opposition during a public meeting on Tuesday.
“If you have a policy that says ‘nothing political,’ does that mean you can’t have a sign up that says, ‘Support our Troops,’ or ‘Believe Women’ or ‘Save the Planet?’ By some people’s definitions, all of those things are political,” said Christine Donahoe, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin. It is not clear whether Donahoe attended the meeting, The Blaze reported.
“It really looks like targeted attacks at specific viewpoints, like LGBT communities, or welcome and safe spaces to students of color,” she added.
An incoming freshman, who identifies as transgender, spoke in opposition to the policy at Tuesday’s meeting. “I don’t want to be misgendered and I want people to know, especially if I’m meeting new people, I want them to know they can feel safe around me,” said Edith Cramer, who prefers to use “he/him” pronouns.
Despite pressure, school board president Gary Vose stood by the decision. “This isn’t a case where we’re trying to discriminate against any group or groups for that matter,” Vose said, “but rather just to bring clarity to allow staff to know where the line is drawn on these various things.”
Jim Romanowski was the only board member to vote against the ban, saying he changed his mind about the policy after hearing from students and staff.
The Kettle Moraine School District was the subject of controversy last November when elementary school faculty insisted on using male pronouns for a female student despite parental objections. The girl’s parents soon pursued legal action, according to a report from The Post Millennial.
A lawsuit was filed against the district by the unidentified 12-year-old’s parents, who say the school district violated their constitutional rights.
Despite this, a petition calling for the policy to be overturned has garnered more than 13,000 signatures. It was started by two district high school students.
