Thiesfeldt Pleased With Turnout For Hearing On Teacher Protection Act

State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt is pleased with the turnout last week for testimony on his Teacher Protection Act legislation. It was held before the Assembly Judiciary Committee, which Thiesfeldt is a member of. He provided some of the testimony himself. There are about 10 initiatives in the bill designed to give teachers more protection in the classroom. The former Winnebago Lutheran Academy teacher says they can’t do anything about the problems that occur in a student’s home life that contribute to disciplinary problems in school. One provision of the bill would allow teachers to break their contract with a school district without a financial penalty if they do not feel safe enough to continue teaching in that district. Another would allow for a “cooling off” period in which the student would be removed from the classroom until some headway is made on what the problem is. Another provision would better inform schools and teachers about students who have been arrested for issues outside of school. The hearing before the committee lasted nearly six hours.