Wisconsin Assembly Approves Multiple Curriculum-Related Bills

Thursday, February 22nd, 2024 -- 8:00 AM

(Sarah Lehr and Anya van Wagtendonk, Wisconsin Public Radio) The Assembly passed multiple curriculum-related bills this week, which now head to the state Senate.

According to Sarah Lehr and Anya van Wagtendonk with Wisconsin Public Radio, one would mandate that cursive be taught at elementary schools that receive state funding, with the goal of ensuring that students can write legibly in cursive before fifth grade.

Another would require K-8 students to get at least three hours of physical activity each week. Republicans also passed legislation that would require public schools to make textbooks, curricula and other educational materials available for district residents to inspect upon request within 14 days.

Additionally, a bipartisan proposal that cleared the Assembly Tuesday would require districts to teach about the history and contributions of Hmong and Asian Americans.

Current Wisconsin law requires districts to develop curricula that give students an “understanding of human relations, particularly with regard to American Indians, Black Americans, and Hispanics,” but it makes no reference to Asian Americans.

Lawmakers also approved a bill to put $100,000 per year towards Holocaust education efforts through 2025. Rep. Lisa Subeck, D-Madison, became emotional on the floor as she spoke in support of the legislation, which passed unanimously less than four months after a neo-Nazi group marched through downtown Madison.

“This is one small step and an opportunity for all of us to say we value diversity, but more than that, we recognize the horrors of history and will not let it repeat itself,” she said.

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