DATE: December 20, 2019 TO: All Legislators FROM: Rep. Katrina Shankland, Rep. Patrick Snyder, Rep. Ron Tusler, Rep. Jonathan Brostoff, Rep. Evan Goyke, Rep. Nick Milroy, Rep. Tod Ohnstad, Rep. Amanda Stuck, Rep. Chris Taylor, and Sen. Lena Taylor RE: Co-Sponsorship of LRB 0969: Directing school boards to provide instruction on Hmong Americans DEADLINE: Monday, January 6 at 4:00 P.M. Wisconsin is home to the third largest population of Hmong Americans of any state in the nation, and it is crucial that our public schools adequately cover the Hmong American experience, both for the sake of our Hmong students and the student population at large. Covering the history, language, and worldviews of Hmong people, the livelihoods and social experiences of Hmong people in Wisconsin and the United States, and the history of United States involvement in the Laotian Civil War and the relationship between the Hmong and the United States during the Vietnam War benefits not only our Hmong students but also the student population at large. When students engage with diverse ideas and populations, they expand their knowledge base and develop strong critical thinking skills, thus cultivating the capacity to navigate, engage, and contribute positively to their continually changing local, national, and global communities. Additionally, adequate and comprehensive instruction in this area may further engage Hmong students, helping to mitigate low educational attainment rates and culture loss. This legislation strives to ensure that the Hmong American experience is always given adequate attention in our public schools by making a very simple change to state statute, amending our statutory educational goals under Ch.118 (2)c(8) to read “at all grade levels, an understanding of human relations, particularly with regard to American Indians, Black Americans, Hispanics, and Hmong Americans” If you would like to co-sponsor this bill, please reply to this email no later than Monday, January 6 at 4:00 P.M. Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau Current law requires each school board to provide an instructional program designed to give pupils an understanding of human relations, particularly with regard to American Indians, Black Americans, and Hispanics. This bill directs school boards to include in that instructional program information related to understanding human relations with regard to Hmong Americans.