AB735: Bill Text

AB735,10,5 (c) A district board shall make every reasonable effort to prevent protected speech and district board–sanctioned events, activities, and instruction from being disrupted. Nothing in this section shall prevent or inhibit a district board from preventing disruptions or punishing disrupters if the district board, to do so, does not prevent or punish expression that is protected under the First Amendment.

AB735,10,6 (d) A district board shall do all of the following:

AB735,10,9 1. Conduct an annual survey of all students and employees on First Amendment rights, academic freedom, perceived political, ideological, or other bias at the district schools, and whether campus culture promotes self-censorship.

AB735,10,11 2. Annually submit to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) a report detailing the results of the survey under subd. 1.

AB735,10,13 3. Annually provide all students and employees with instruction in academic freedom, due process, and First Amendment protections.

AB735,10,17 (3) Academic freedom. A district board may not sanction an individual on the basis of the content or viewpoints expressed while the individual is directly engaged in instruction, research, or service explicitly related to the individual's role as a student or faculty member of a district school.

AB735,10,25 (4) Penalties; institutional aid. (a) A district board that violates this section, for 10 years following the date of the finding of the violation under par. (e), shall include a disclaimer on all notices, both printed or electronic, to individuals regarding admission to a technical college of the district, in a type size no smaller than the majority of the rest of the notice, in substantially the following form: “NOTICE: We are required by the State of Wisconsin to inform you that within the last 10 years ... [insert name of technical college] has violated the free speech or academic freedom provisions in the Wisconsin statutes.”

AB735,11,3 (b) A district board that violates this section more than once in a 10-year period is ineligible for allocation of grants under s. 39.435, except grants awarded under s. 39.435 (2) or (5), for a period of no less than one fiscal year.

AB735,11,7 (c) In addition to the period of ineligibility under par. (b), if a district board administrator causes the violation of this section, the district board is not eligible for allocation of grants under s. 39.435, except grants awarded under s. 39.435 (2) or (5), until the administrator is permanently removed from his or her administrative role.

AB735,11,15 (d) If a district board that violates this section is ineligible under par. (b) or (c) for allocation of grants under s. 39.435, except grants awarded under s. 39.435 (2) or (5), the district board shall make an award of institutional financial aid to each student affected by the district board's ineligibility under par. (b) or (c) in the amount that the student would have received as a grant under s. 39.435 if the district board had not violated this section. The district board shall pay the institutional financial aid awarded to each student under this paragraph from moneys that the district board has allocated for its administrative expenses.

AB735,11,17 (e) The penalties under this subsection apply if any of the following find, on the basis of a preponderance of the evidence, that the district board violated this section:

AB735,11,18 1. A state or federal court in this state.

AB735,11,19 2. The higher educational aids board.

AB735,11,21 3. Any standing committee of the legislature having jurisdiction over matters relating to higher education.

AB735,11,24 (5) Cause of action. (a) Any person identified in par. (b) may bring an action in circuit court against a district board for violation of this section and may seek any of the following:

AB735,11,25 1. An injunction against violation of this section.

AB735,12,2 2. Recovery from the district board of compensatory damages for persons aggrieved by the violation.

AB735,12,3 (b) Any of the following persons may bring an action under par. (a):

AB735,12,4 1. The attorney general.

AB735,12,5 2. A district attorney.

AB735,12,7 3. Any person whose expressive rights were violated through the violation of this section.

AB735,12,9 (c) Subject to par. (d), in an action brought under par. (a), if the court finds a violation, the court shall award to the plaintiffs all of the following:

AB735,12,12 1. Total damages for all persons aggrieved by the violation of not less than $500 for the initial violation plus $50 for each day the violation remains ongoing, which shall accrue starting on the day after the complaint is served on the district board.

AB735,12,13 2. Notwithstanding s. 814.04 (1), court costs and reasonable attorney fees.

AB735,12,18 (d) In an action brought under par. (a), the total damages, excluding court costs and attorney fees, that may be awarded to plaintiffs in a case or cases stemming from a single controversy may not exceed an aggregate amount of $100,000. In violations harming multiple plaintiffs, the court shall divide the damages equitably among them until the maximum award is exhausted, if applicable.

AB735,12,22 (e) If a court awards to plaintiffs damages, court costs, or attorney fees in an action brought under this subsection, the district board shall pay the total amount of the award from moneys that the district board has allocated for its administrative expenses.

AB735,12,24 (f) Section 893.80 does not apply to an action brought against a district board under this section.

AB735,5 Section 5. 39.285 (1) (c) of the statutes is created to read:

AB735,13,4 39.285 (1) (c) The board shall ensure that any proposed formula approved under par. (a) takes into consideration any University of Wisconsin institution's loss of funding allocation under s. 36.41 (4) (b) and (c) or technical college district board's loss of funding allocation under s. 38.34 (4) (b) and (c).

AB735,13,5 (End)