School Incidents

I am sure that most of you are already aware of this, but several incidents occurred over the past week where shootings or threats of violence were reported at Wisconsin schools. 

At Waukesha South High School, a student was shot by a school resource officer after the teenager allegedly pulled what was eventually discovered to be pellet gun in a classroom and pointed it at police. Just one day later, a school resource officer at Oshkosh West High School shot a student in response to being stabbed by that 16-year-old.

Threats of violence were also made this week at several other schools in the state, but no injuries were reported in any of those particular instances.

While we can consider ourselves fortunate that none of these situations resulted in a loss of life, the truth is things could have turned out much differently. But because of the quick and heroic actions of the two resource officers, the students in those two schools are safe and still alive.

I am glad that more and more schools in Wisconsin are seeing the benefits that these officers provide and are employing more of them to look over and help our kids while they're in the classroom. Nearly all of our local schools have resource officers. 

Although they can be viewed as authoritative figures, successful school resource officers foster close and personal relationships with our students. Because of those connections, students are much more likely to seek out their school resource officer when they are experiencing problems or notice that their peers are struggling. During my time as school board president at Sturgeon Bay, our resource officer helped us avoid more serious problems on several occasions.

Those partnerships are so influential in curbing violence in our schools, which is part of the reason why the state Legislature passed a school safety package in 2018 that released $100 million in grant funding for building improvements and staff training. That training has focused on identifying and addressing mental health and other issues that may lead a student to violence.

Based on a report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, that training helped stop the situation in Waukesha from becoming much worse. According to the article, a special education teacher restrained the student who had the gun, which allowed for some of the other students to leave the room. One of those students immediately sought out the school resource officer for help. 

Our school security package is working, and I'm glad both Republicans and Democrats were able to come together to devise a plan to better protect our students. I feel confident that we will be able to continue working together to find other ways to address safety in our schools. 

Anyone working in education will tell you that they are dealing with more mental health issues among students than ever before and they are being asked to do much more than just teach kids. We know that our best chance at helping those children with mental health issues is to reach them early. 

Back in 2016, I authored a bill that was signed into law that allowed more schools to offer mental health services. That law requires the Department of Health Services to provide reimbursements under the Medical Assistance program to licensed treatment professionals for mental health care administered at a school, regardless of whether the school site is designated as a clinic office.

The last two budgets also dramatically increased the amount of money spent on mental health, but there is clearly more work to be done. Gov. Tony Evers vetoed a portion of our mental health funding in the current budget, but based on his comments this week, I am hopeful he will reconsider that.

This is an area where we should be able to find bipartisan agreement. Please know I will always work hard to prevent political games from getting in the way of helping improve mental health services for the people who so desperately need them.

Wetlands Bill

I am honored that a bill I co-authored that looks to improve our state's wetlands system was recently signed into law.

The goal of 2019 Wisconsin Act 59 is to increase environmental mitigation within the regions of our state that are experiencing the greatest disturbances to wetlands. The law will help us meet that objective by making wetland mitigation credits more available.    

Wisconsin Act 59 expands the areas where these credits can be used, which will lead to improved wetland restoration efforts and, as a result, a cleaner and more stable environment. One of the aspects I like most about this law is it allows for us to further protect and enhance our wetlands while still fostering economic growth.

 In some of our more populated and growing communities, the cost to create wetlands can be very expensive. That often inhibits wetland mitigation bank developers from participating in new projects. However, Act 59 encourages investments in new projects by tying the release of sellable wetland credits to specific benchmarks that need to be met during the course of a development.

  The law, which was passed out of the Assembly Environment Committee that I chair, also requires that wetland mitigation occurs, when possible, in the same hydrologic area that has been impacted by a discharge. 

By ensuring that mitigation is done as close as possible to the affected wetland, we will provide every region in Wisconsin with better opportunities to filter groundwater, supply habitats for wildlife and minimize flooding during extreme rain storms. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a one-acre wetland can typically store around one million gallons of floodwater.

 I know our work is not close to being done, but I am confident Act 59 will be a great addition to our efforts in improving our wetlands and protecting our environment.

Sporting Heritage Council 

I would like to make sure all of you are aware that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is looking to fill five vacant representative positions on the Sporting Heritage Council.

Nominations will be accepted through Jan. 1, 2020.

Please consider applying for one of these positions or encouraging someone else who may be interested. Members play a vital role in our state as the Sporting Heritage Council is responsible for advising the governor, Natural Resources Board and state Legislature on fishing, hunting and trapping issues.

According to the DNR, the council primarily focuses on increasing access to outdoor opportunities and the recruitment, retention and reactivation of anglers, hunters and trappers.

Those interested in the open positions will need to have experience and interest in either angling, deer hunting, bird hunting, bear hunting or furbearer management. Members will be tasked with providing news, information and perspectives on various issues regarding their specific area of focus. 

To learn more about applying for one of the open Sporting Heritage Council positions, please click on this link. 

Upcoming District Events

What: Christmas in the Village of Ephraim
Where: Various locations throughout the Village of Ephraim
When: Saturday, Dec. 7, starting at 10 a.m.
Details: "Enjoy the beauty of Ephraim at Christmastime. Christmas in the Village offers fun for all ages and a visit by Santa. See the annual tree lighting in Harborside Park and head inside the Village Hall for fun activities, a warm lunch, and a bake sale."

What: Harbor Holiday Parade & Tree Lighting Party
Where: Various locations throughout the Town of Baileys Harbor
When: Saturday, Dec. 7, starting at 10 a.m.
Details: "Activities throughout town. Featuring the holiday fair (10am-2pm) at the town hall, arts and crafts at the library (10am-1pm), cookies, hot chocolate, Santa on a fire truck in the parade (5pm), caroling, tree lighting (6pm) and more. Visit baileysharbor.com for more information."

What: Tree Lighting
Where: Lakeside Park, Highway 57, Jacksonport, WI
When: Saturday, Dec. 7, at 5:45 p.m.
Details: "Head to Jacksonport for the annual tree lighting and to sing songs around the tree. Head to the Jacksonport Town Hall after for a Christmas party featuring food, fun and friends. Free, but bring a donation of canned goods to be donated to local food pantries."