Bill closing loophole in strip search law goes to governor; Suring High School searches led to legislation
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MADISON - A bill that would make all forms of strip searching illegal in Wisconsin schools is headed to the governor's desk.
Legislators in the state Assembly unanimously voted to pass the bill Thursday afternoon and will send it to Gov. Tony Evers for his veto or approval.
The bill was introduced by three Oconto and Green Bay-area lawmakers after former Suring School District superintendent Kelly Casper told six female students to remove clothing down to their underwear during a search for vaping devices in January 2022. Casper's actions caused a large outcry in the small Suring community and statewide.
The current state statute says any official, employee or agent of a school district who conducts a strip search is guilty of a Class B misdemeanor.
Casper was never charged for strip searching the girls because the search didn't qualify as one under current law, which states that the student's private parts must have been exposed. Casper's actions prompted outcry in the small community. She resigned from the school district at the end of June 2022.
The bill, co-authored by state Rep. Elijah Behnke, R-Oconto, Rep. David Steffen, R-Howard, and state Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Green Bay, would fill that gap in the law that would have made Casper's searches illegal. It expands the definition of a strip search to students having to take off their clothes down to their underwear.
The bill was approved by the Senate in October and had bipartisan support Thursday in the Assembly.
"It's time for this void, this obvious omission in state law to be closed and ensure that our children can feel comfortable and safe at our schools," Steffen said Thursday.
More: Here's what we know about the Suring School District furor over strip-searching of students
Contact Benita Mathew at bmathew@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Bill proposed following Suring strip searches passes Assembly
