OCONTO FALLS (NBC 26) — A recent investigation into sexual misconduct in Wisconsin schools is raising new questions about how often it happens and what schools can do to stop it.
A joint investigation by Wisconsin Public Radio and The Cap Times found about 200 Wisconsin educators were investigated for sexual misconduct or grooming over a five-year period.
Jetta Bernier, executive director of Enough Abuse, a national child sexual abuse prevention organization, says the problem goes far beyond Wisconsin.
“This is not a Wisconsin problem ... It’s a national problem,” Bernier told NBC 26.
Bernier says schools can play a major role in preventing abuse, but only if leaders take the issue seriously and put stronger safeguards in place.
“Schools can really be a solution to this problem,” she said. “We want to be proactive.”
According to Bernier, that starts with more than the basic mandated reporter training many school employees already receive. She says schools need specialized training focused specifically on child sexual abuse, grooming, and boundary crossing behavior.
“We have some solutions,” Bernier said. “We just have to go to scale with them.”
She says every school employee should be trained to recognize early warning signs, understand proper boundaries, and know how to respond if a child comes forward.
Bernier also says background checks alone are not enough.
She believes schools should improve screening during the hiring process and ask stronger questions of applicants, including whether they have ever been investigated for misconduct or surrendered a professional license during an investigation.
Another concern, Bernier says, is what some advocates call “passing the trash,” when an employee accused of misconduct resigns quietly and moves on to another school without a full investigation or a clear record following them. That is why she says clear school policies matter.
Bernier recommends that districts create detailed codes of conduct, identify behaviors that cross professional boundaries, and step in early before conduct escalates.
“Don’t wait until there are rumors,” she said. “If we see these boundary-violating behaviors happening, we need to identify them early on, address them, and deal with it.”
Bernier also says the increase in online communication has created more opportunities for exploitation. She told NBC 26 that abuse today can take many forms, from inappropriate comments and grooming to explicit images, online coercion, and sexual relationships.
Even so, she says the answer is not panic. It is prevention.
That includes better staff training, better screening, stronger reporting systems, and open communication between adults and children.
Bernier says parents also play a critical role by having direct, age-appropriate conversations with their children and creating an environment where kids feel safe speaking up.
For schools, she says the bottom line is simple: be proactive, not reactive.
“If you’re in a school, you have a choice,” Bernier said. “You can either protect the people who abuse children in your school, or you can protect the children.”
