Rep. John Nygren
A Republican state lawmaker wants the organization overseeing Wisconsin school athletics to have to follow the state’s open records and meetings laws.
State Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) says he plans to reintroduce a bill that would apply the open records law to the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA), following the controversy surrounding a recent memo the organization sent out to school athletic directors about student sportsmanship. The request, which urged them to discourage certain chants during a game, drew national ridicule for the organization and prompted officials to apologize last week.
Nygren said creating more transparency at the WIAA would give the public more notice when those kinds of changes are being considered. “When decisions are made with taxpayer money, the public deserves to have a say, or at least a look into the decision room. Policies like these, which suggest a mere suppression of speech, deserve more oversight and scrutiny, and I aim to ensure that in the future,” he argued.
Contributed by Rick Schuh, WHBY