WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — The Wausau School Board Education and Operations Committee has instructed the administration to further examine proposed rules changes for the district’s policy regarding facilities rentals for outside groups, including a requirement for a disclaimer on all promotional materials that would make it clear the district is only providing a gathering place and not endorsing what’s presented.
“We will rent our facilities because we are a limited public forum,” said Superintendent Dr. Keith Hilts. “But that doesn’t mean we agree with an organization’s views.”
The proposed changes stem from a May 22nd event where a group called “Every Black Life Matters” held a workshop at Wausau East High School that caused concern in the community after their presentation to the County Board a few days before. At the County Board presentation leaders of the group spoke for over an hour sharing their criticism of abortion and race-based movements. At one point, they told the Board that Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg was “all in” on “exterminating black people.”
Many on the board said they were blindsided by the backlash and perceived district endorsement of the group, leading them to determine the need for a disclaimer. Board Member Jane Rusch presented one version which reads “this event is not endorsed by the Wausau School District, nor does it necessarily represent the views of Wausau School District,” and would be required on all printed promotional materials and included in any potential audio/video advertisements. Some board members proposed allowing exceptions for certain groups, but Hilts said there’s also a concern about what would happen if someone misrepresents their intentions. “What if someone says ‘well, it’s 20 people and we aren’t charging [admission,]’ but then it ends up being hundreds and they are charging admission it would impact the way we assign a fee.”
Board members discussed the proposal for around 20 minutes as part of Monday’s Education and Operations Committee meeting but took no action. Instead, they’ve instructed Hilts and others in the Administration wing to compare the proposed language with other recommended wording from NEOLA Policy Service, a group that provides policy service and guidance to over 280 districts statewide.
“We will go back to their template and add in Mrs. Rusch’s recommendation and see if they have some language that they may recommend that accomplishes our goals. If they do, we’ll use that. If not, we’ll create some and bring it back for the board to review later this summer,” said Hilts.
He adds while the backlash received after the EBLM event wasn’t desirable, correcting the shortcomings in the policy which allowed the event to be advertised without a disclaimer or an idea of how politicized it would become is simply part of the Board’s job. “We are always in a process of continual review. Whether it’s policy or academic programming, co-curricular programming, or whatever. And we are constantly welcoming feedback. When we identify any area of weakness, we work to improve it.”
The proposal will be brought back to the committee later this summer before being considered for adoption by the full board.
