You can tell lawmakers what you think of a proposed bill that would make Freeburg High School get rid of its controversial mascot, the Midgets, this week as legislators prepare to discuss it in upcoming committee hearings.
The mascot has come under fire from a grassroots group called Mascots Matter, which is led by adults with dwarfism and parents of children with dwarfism in western and southern states. They are calling for the mascot to be changed because many people with dwarfism consider the term midgets a slur.
Members of the group worked with state Rep. Maurice West, D-Rockford, on the legislation, which would ban public schools from using derogatory names for people with disabilities as mascots. It is called the Prohibition of Discriminatory Disability Mascots Act, or HB3527.
The bill is scheduled to be called in two House Education Policy Committee hearings: at 8 a.m. Wednesday and 2 p.m. Thursday.
You can record your position on the bill by filling out a witness slip on the Illinois General Assembly’s website. A witness slip also allows you to tell lawmakers if you want to offer testimony at a hearing.
Here’s what to know about witness slips, including some helpful tips from the General Assembly’s website:
If a bill is scheduled for more than one committee hearing in a week like HB3527 is, the General Assembly’s website says you will need to submit a witness slip for each hearing.
You can submit a witness slip on HB3527 up until the conclusion of the hearings.
If the bill gets rescheduled for a different hearing day, you will have to submit another witness slip for the new hearing date.
Follow these step-by-step instructions to file a witness slip online:
- Go to the website my.ilga.gov/Hearing/HearingDetail/21674 for Wednesday’s hearing or my.ilga.gov/Hearing/HearingDetail/21709 for Thursday’s hearing
- Click on the Create Witness Slip icon to the right of HB3527 in the list of bills
- Provide the requested information, including your name and contact information, your position on the bill (proponent, opponent or no position) and whether you would like to provide written or oral testimony to the committee
Among the bill’s proponents are members of Mascots Matter and the Little People of America, as well as parents of children with dwarfism and other disabilities.
Opponents include high school alumni, Freeburg High School District 77 School Board President Victoria Staub and Freeburg Village Administrator Matt Trout.
State Rep. Kevin Schmidt, R-Millstadt, has also publicly voiced opposition to the bill, saying local school boards should make decisions about mascots.
This story was originally published by the Belleville News-Democrat. Lexi Cortes is a reporter for the BND, a news partner of St. Louis Public Radio.
