Wisconsin children are safer after Gov. Evers signed a Republican bill to protect children across the state by establishing a criminal definition of "grooming" and treat the sexual grooming of a child as the serious and dangerous crime that it is. Previously, Wisconsin had no clear definition of grooming, allowing predatory behavior to go unpunished and the harshest charge someone convicted of grooming could receive was disorderly conduct.

On March 6th, Gov. Evers signed this bill into law which gives prosecutors the necessary tools to protect our kids from being groomed for sexual purposes. This is a huge win for the state as Republicans worked hard to help get this bill across the finish line.

An additional measure also requires school districts, private schools, and charter schools across Wisconsin to adopt policies governing appropriate communication between staff and students. These policies must include training to help educators identify and report grooming behavior and professional boundary violations, ensuring school employees are better equipped to protect students. This comes after an October report by the Cap Times that found 200 teacher sexual misconduct and grooming cases were shielded from the public by Dr. Jill Underly and the Department of Public Instruction.

This legislation is vital to protecting our kids and gives parents, teachers, and law enforcement clearer legal authority to identify and prevent grooming in our classrooms.