Winneconne board declines to adopt updated Title IX nondiscrimination policy after heated debate

The Winneconne Community School District board voted down a proposed update to its nondiscrimination policy tied to the U.S. Department of Education's June 2024 Title IX regulations, 4–3, after more than an hour of staff explanation, trustee questions and public comment.

The board reviewed policy 22-64 line by line as staff and the district’s legal counsel explained which drafting notes would be removed and which regulatory definitions would remain. The policy includes provisions addressing discrimination based on pregnancy and related conditions and sets procedural timelines for evaluating and investigating complaints.

Administrators said the draft retained key procedural protections, including a 10-day window for the Title IX coordinator to evaluate complaints and a typical 30-day investigation period. "We are required to pass a policy by August 1," an administrator told trustees, noting the district must align procedures with federal guidance and prepare staff training and notice provisions.

Two members of the public urged caution. A written statement read into the record from Laura Ackman, chapter chair of Winnebago County Moms for Liberty, argued the new Title IX rules were unconstitutional and asked the board not to implement them. "The new title 9 regulations are unconstitutional, erase women and girls, eliminate due process, compel speech," the statement said.

Trustees debated how the policy would affect locker-room and restroom arrangements, whether students or parents would be notified, and how the district would distinguish inadvertent mistakes (for example, misused pronouns) from harassment. One trustee cited a federal district-court injunction from Kansas that his group believed should block implementation; others said that injunction does not bind Wisconsin school districts and stressed counsel’s recommendation that the district adopt procedures to remain compliant with federal requirements should they take effect.

Several trustees said they were concerned about imposing a more formal Title IX grievance process on incidents previously handled under the district’s harassment policy. "We already have policies that say we will not tolerate discrimination," a trustee said, arguing that Title IX procedures are more rigid than existing harassment processes.

After deliberation, a motion to adopt the policy failed on roll call, with the board recording four votes against and three in favor. Board members directed staff to bring the item back for continued consideration at a future meeting, giving trustees time to review legal developments and implementation details.

The district’s legal counsel and Neola had recommended the policy as written; administrators said the district would follow counsel’s direction if the legal landscape changed. The board left open the option to revisit the proposal once additional guidance or court rulings clarified obligations.

The board moved on to the next items on its agenda after the vote; no Title IX policy changes took effect at the meeting.