Gwen Moore Opposes So-Called "School Mascot" Bill
Washington, DC,
December 20, 2013
What kind of message are we sending to our Native American neighbors, our students and school districts across the nation? I am extremely disappointed that Governor Walker has, once again, chosen to stand on the wrong side of history.
Contact: Staci Cox (202) 225- 4572 Milwaukee, WI – Today, Congresswoman Gwen Moore (WI-04) spoke out after learning that Governor Walker has signed a bill making it easier for public schools to keep Native American nicknames, logos, mascots and team names. “Our governor continues to make headlines for his decisions negatively impacting Wisconsinites,” said Rep. Moore. “This time, he is not singling out students, seniors, people with disabilities, the middle class or the poor. Rather he is turning his back on our Native American communities. This law is offensive at its core.” In 2010, Wisconsin enacted a law that allowed the Department of Public Instruction to conduct a hearing on the offensive nature of a Native American public school nickname, logo, mascot or team name if one complaint was received. The so-called “School Mascot” bill not only essentially repeals this law, it provides more control to the Walker administration by giving hearing supervision to the Department of Administration. In addition, the new law has onerous requirements that will cause complainants to gather signatures from 10 percent of the school district population in order to file a complaint. “What kind of message are we sending to our Native American neighbors, our students and school districts across the nation? I am extremely disappointed that Governor Walker has, once again, chosen to stand on the wrong side of history.” According to news reports, all 11 tribal nations in Wisconsin oppose the law. ### For “Moore” News Updates Follow Gwen Moore on Twitter @RepGwenMoore and Like Gwen Moore on Facebook |
