Kevin 'Kelly' Hutchinson Requests Parent Data of 12,000+ KUSD Students
Kevin 'Kelly' Hutchinson
Kevin ‘Kelly’ Hutchinson sent a Freedom of Information Act request to the Kenosha Unified School District to get the contact information for all KUSD parents (below).
Kelly Hutchinson's request was so unusual, KUSD took the step of consulting with its legal team to see if there was a way they could legally protect the information from being released to Hutchinson.
KUSD contact information is provided in good faith by parents to the school district; most parents likely didn't know their data was vulnerable to being accessed by a community member or a group looking to advance personal or political agendas.
Kelly Hutchinson has been involved in demanding KUSD ban books that deal with topics of gender and sexuality. Like members of Kenosha MassResistance, Moms for Liberty and the Republican Party of Kenosha County, Hutchinson has protested those books at school board meetings, labeling books with this content 'pornography'.
Kelly Hutchinson has a history of advancing conservative politics at KUSD school board meetings.
Hutchinson said in an interview with a right-wing blogger that his intention when he made the KUSD data request was to use the contact information for KUSD families to alert them to books he considers "graphic" in KUSD libraries.
Hutchinson's request to the district said KUSD family contact data "will contribute significantly to the public's understanding of how materials are being presented to KUSD students."
To access KUSD family contact information with the intent to use in it in such a manner is morally and ethically questionable.
Parents on social media have expressed outrage that a community member would obtain their data without their express permission.
Unfortunately, KUSDs legal team advised the school district there was no way to prevent Hutchinson from acquiring the contact information he desired.
KUSD notified families about Hutchinson's access of the contact data without specifically naming him (above) and indicated they were unsure of his plans for the data.
It is unclear from this communication if it was parent contact information or student contact information that was released, which is also troubling.
We hope KUSD will work with families to help assure student and family contact information is protected in the future from people like Hutchinson who are planning on using that information to advance their personal and/or political agendas.
Book Banning Efforts Target Books That Contain Sensitive Topics
Since August 2023, Kenosha has been intensely targeted by conservatives looking to ban books of which they don't approve. You can read more about that here.
Some of those efforts to ban books have attracted the attention of dangerous extremist groups and individuals to our community.
KUSD school leaders, school board members, and community members have been targeted by conservatives looking to ban books. MassResistance has suggested school leaders be fired and even arrested and that staff who choose books be fired and/or arrested. They have also labeled community members who support books with sensitive content as 'haters', 'bigots' and 'groomers'. A groomer is someone who builds a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child or young person so they can manipulate, exploit and sexually abuse them.
Books with sensitive content are not required reading for any KUSD students. Parents have the ability to opt out of books or content they don't want their children to have by talking to their child's teacher or librarian. Parents can and should also talk with their children about their family's values and about content of which they disapprove.
Parents have the right to decide what books are appropriate for their own children.
No parent or extremist group has the right to make that decision for every other parent.
Troubling Video of Kelly Hutchinson's Behavior in the Community Surfaces
Hutchinson was videotaped engaging in troubling behavior in the community.
In April 2022 Hutchinson was filmed harassing a Black man in a Kenosha restaurant while he was eating his dinner. According to the man doing the filming, Hutchinson became upset because the Black man was dressed in a tie. The Black man Hutchinson is targeting does little to engage with him, instead he talks to the camera about what is going on and that what is happening isn't an unusual experience for him. As filming continues, Hutchinson insistently tells the Black man to "play the card" as the diner refuses to engage.
No person should have to deal with this type of harassment. It is disgusting and unacceptable. We believe most people in Kenosha wouldn't accept or approve of Hutchinson's behavior and we also believe most Kenoshans don't share Hutchinson's values.
There are 12,000 students currently enrolled in KUSD schools. Their family contact data is now in the hands of Kelly Hutchinson, who wants to ban books he doesn't approve of from KUSD schools and who, in the above video, displays what many people consider abhorrent behavior and terrible judgment.
