WRIGHTSTOWN, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty, also known as WILL, is accusing the Wrightstown School District of breaking the law. The group is raising concerns with the process the district uses to implement its “Human Growth and Development” curriculum. A lawsuit is being threatened, if changes aren’t made.
Like school districts across the state, the Wrightstown Community School District has been teaching “Human Growth and Development” for years — the curriculum varies depending on the grade level.
But according to WILL, in a letter it sent to the district demanding changes be made to the implementation of the curriculum or it will sue, WILL claims the Wrightstown school district has failed to meet some of the state requirements.
“When districts decide to implement a human growth and development curriculum for the district, there are certain requirements that are triggered and one of those is having a committee of parents and community members to review the curriculum and advise the school board on implementation of that curriculum and in this instance that did not occur and it’s required by our state law,” said Cory Brewer, associate counsel with WILL.
In addition to allegedly not having the proper advisory committee in place, WILL also claims the district isn’t being open with parents about the curriculum and it’s not providing them with an outline of the instructional program.
The Wrightstown School District isn’t commenting on the claims by WILL.
It was confirmed, through WILL, all of these concerns are being raised by a parent who lives in the Wrightstown Community School District boundaries, but doesn’t actually have her child enrolled in the district. WILL is not identifying the parent, at this time.
Brewer said, “As a community member and taxpayer, she has every right to voice concerns in this critical decisions, critical curricula in the district. ”
Included in the news release from WILL is what appears to be a secret recording of a 90 minute conversation the woman who is raising these concerns had with Wrightstown Superintendent, Andy Space, and the school board’s president, Nicole Gerend, from August.
A quote from that conversation and included in WILL’s argument states Superintendent Space allegedly said, “It’s not that someone doesn’t want to follow the state statute, but it’s out of sight out of mind.”
During that part of the conversation, according to the recording WILL claims, Space went on to talk about large district’s in the state and the extra administrators they have to specifically review curriculum.
For reference, Wrightstown serves only about 1,300 students while the Green Bay Area Public School enrollment is close to 19,000 students.
In the recording, WILL claims Space admitted the school district didn’t have a committee, but he touted the district’s commitment to parent involvement saying, “We do a good job of involving the parents. Because, let’s face it, parents are the biggest either roadblock or help in this area because if they talk to their kids, kids listen to their parents.”
Superintendent Andy Space said “We are reviewing the letter and will be responding at a later date.”
WILL hopes to see change to the district’s policy before the end of the year but it says it is giving the district until the end of the month to respond before it decides how to move forward.
