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Wimberger Pressures DPI to Continue Investigation
One Republican lawmaker is pushing the state’s public school managers to continue to ask questions about the sexual abuse claims in Oconto Falls Schools.
State Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Gillett, on Tuesday said the state’s Department of Public Instruction needs to keep its investigation into a now-former Oconto Falls teacher open.
“The highest responsibility of any education official is to ensure our children are safe at school, especially from predators disguising themselves as authority figures. Ending the [David] Heisel investigation early will not only betray the public’s trust, but deny the chance of restoring accountability for the victims who came forward," Wimberger said.
Heisel is one of several teachers in Oconto Falls named in a lawsuit that alleges a pattern of sexual misconduct and grooming.
A former student says she spent years in high school in a relationship with Heisel. That included time spent alone in and out of the school, and eventually sex.
DPI on Tuesday announced that Heisel surrendered his teaching license. Usually, that’s enough to end a DPI investigation.
The Cap Times reported last fall that DPI routinely ended sexual misconduct investigations into teachers if they agreed to give-up their licenses.
“I am calling on DPI to continue investigating the Oconto Falls situation, even after Heisel surrendered his license. These allegations deserve a full and proper examination so our community can transparently know what happened, when it happened, and who knew about the misconduct occurring in our schools,” Wimberger added.
The lawsuit that names Heisel also says Oconto Falls school leaders allowed and/or tolerated teachers having inappropriate relationships with students over a number of years.
The law firm driving that lawsuit said more victims and witnesses have come forward since they first went to court last month.
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