The News: In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, WILL unveiled a new documentary, “Classrooms in Crisis,” putting human faces on the growing crisis of student behavior, school safety, and teacher authority in Wisconsin classrooms. Through the firsthand accounts of real educators, many of whom left public schools out of fear for their own safety, the mini-documentary reveals an education system under serious strain.
The Story: Over the last several months, WILL interviewed dozens of Wisconsin educators about what they experience every day inside public-school classrooms. Their stories were not just heartbreaking, but incredibly similar. Again and again, teachers described a culture of inconsistent discipline and a lack of administrative support when students become persistently disruptive or violent.
Our findings are far more than anecdotal. Surveys show that nearly half of teachers report that classroom conduct rules are enforced only sometimes or never, and over 25% report fear for their physical safety at school.
The Quotes: WILL Associate Counsel, Lauren Greuel, stated, “Wisconsin’s public-school teachers are speaking out, and what they’re telling us is alarming. Classrooms are in chaos. Students’ learning is being disrupted, and educators are leaving the profession for their own safety. We hope this documentary can inform lawmakers, school administrators, and policymakers to act.”
Maria, a Wisconsin educator, stated in the documentary, “As a teacher, it isn’t fair for a child to see me get blatantly disrespected time and time again. And your good kids eventually shut down and have a hard time because they don’t want to see their teacher being disrespected.”
What We Hope to Accomplish: We intend to use this documentary to raise awareness on the issue of classroom behavior in Wisconsin and to push for common sense solutions.
Legislation to address this crisis recently passed the Wisconsin legislature with bipartisan support, but was vetoed by Governor Evers. The legislation, AB 614, would have specifically:
- Strengthened Teachers’ Authority: Ensured teachers may not be terminated or otherwise retaliated against for removing a student from class, enforcing classroom rules, reporting unsafe conditions or disruptive behavior, requesting assistance for student concerns, or taking action to protect the safety of the teacher or others.
- Created Clear Classroom Re-Entry Plans: Required clear procedures so students are not automatically returned to a classroom without a plan to address the underlying behavior.
- Mandated Parental Notification: Ensured parents are notified when a student is removed from class or their child witnesses a serious incident.
- Empowered Parents: Provided a limited enforcement mechanism for parents if school districts fail to comply with these transparency standards.
Lauren Greuel
Associate Counsel