{"id":983,"date":"2026-09-27T09:12:25","date_gmt":"2026-09-27T14:12:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/?p=983"},"modified":"2026-09-27T09:16:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T14:16:20","slug":"waukesha-school-board-member-eric-brooks-infringes-on-first-amendment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/2026\/09\/27\/waukesha-school-board-member-eric-brooks-infringes-on-first-amendment\/","title":{"rendered":"Waukesha School Board Member Eric Brooks Infringes on First Amendment"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-983\" data-postid=\"983\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-983 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n                    <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_0fag037 tb_first tf_w\">\n                        <div class=\"row_inner col_align_top tb_col_count_1 tf_box tf_rel\">\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col-full tb_8ouz330 first\">\n                    <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_vk6g030   \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n        <p>(<a href=\"#espanol\">Espa\u00f1ol abajo<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, September 24, 2026, Wisconsin Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Tiffany held an election event in Milwaukee focused on veteran concerns. Media were invited and encouraged by the Tiffany campaign to cover the event. While media were arriving, Waukesha School Board member Eric Brooks, who was elected to the board in 2024, identified himself as a campaign staffer and refused entrance to two Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporters. The Alliance for Education in Waukesha has reviewed a video of the incident and provided the following transcript in the photo below.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_986\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-986\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-986 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript-1024x1002.jpg\" alt=\"MJS Reporter: We'd like to cover it. Veterans are an important issue.\nBrooks: Well, we'd like you to cover the race fairly.\nMJS Reporter: I believe we are covering it fairly.\nBrooks: We've got plenty of other press here. You're more than welcome to look at their coverage. They've been doing a great job covering this race, but you're gonna lie.\nMJS Reporter: I believe our coverage is fair. We've been requesting interviews for weeks. Veterans are an important issue. We want to provide coverage to our readers.\nBrooks: I agree that veterans are an important issue. That's why I would like the questions to be pertinent to what matters to veterans and not what matters to the narrative of the Milwaukee Journal.\nMJS Reporter: It's really unfortunate. \nBrooks: I can say the same about your coverage.\nMJS Reporter: Okay, what's your name?\nBrooks: My name's Eric.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1002\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript-1024x1002.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript-300x294.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript-768x752.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-986\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Link to CBS Reporter A.J. Bayatpour&#8217;s coverage of the incident: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/v\/1C3eBJWw9n\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/v\/1C3eBJWw9n\/<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Brooks\u2019 actions in this incident seem to be a clear infringement of the first amendment. Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of American democracy.<\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t the first time board member Brooks has caused a stir. This past spring Brooks was found to be the custodian of a Political Action Committee named \u201cForward Wisconsin 2026\u201d that was using advertising to attack one of his fellow Waukesha School Board members, Diane Voit. You can read more about the PAC in our post found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/p\/1Tt4oJhH9y\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s clear to anyone paying attention that Eric Brooks is more interested in playing politics and infringing on the rights of Americans than he is serving the students and families in Waukesha. With this in mind, the Alliance for Education in Waukesha views Brooks as unfit to serve on the school board and calls on him to resign.<\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->        <\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_mgg0803 tf_w\">\n                        <div class=\"row_inner col_align_top tb_col_count_1 tf_box tf_rel\">\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col-full tb_ski7500 first\">\n                    <!-- module plain text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-plain-text tb_7fhx378 \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <a name=\"espanol\"><\/a>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module plain text --><!-- module divider -->\n<div  class=\"module tf_mw module-divider tb_ahr2080 solid   \" style=\"border-width: 1px;border-color: #000;margin-bottom: 20px;\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n    <\/div>\n<!-- \/module divider -->\n<!-- module fancy heading -->\n<div  class=\"module module-fancy-heading tb_msqz130 \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <h3 class=\"fancy-heading tf_textc\">\n    <span class=\"main-head tf_block\">\n                    El miembro de la junta escolar de Waukesha, Eric Brooks, infringe la Primera Enmienda            <\/span>\n\n    \n    <span class=\"sub-head tf_block tf_rel\">\n                                <\/span>\n    <\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module fancy heading -->\n<!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_qqyh330   \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n        <p>El jueves 24 de septiembre de 2026, el candidato republicano a la gobernaci\u00f3n de Wisconsin, Tom Tiffany, realiz\u00f3 un evento electoral en Milwaukee centrado en las preocupaciones de los veteranos. Los medios fueron invitados y alentados por la campa\u00f1a de Tiffany a cubrir el evento. Mientras los medios llegaban, Eric Brooks, miembro de la Junta Escolar de Waukesha, quien fue elegido para la junta en 2024, se identific\u00f3 como personal de campa\u00f1a y neg\u00f3 la entrada a dos reporteros del Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. La Alianza por la Educaci\u00f3n en Waukesha ha revisado un video del incidente y proporcion\u00f3 la siguiente transcripci\u00f3n en la foto a continuaci\u00f3n.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_986-2\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-986-2\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-986 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript-1024x1002.jpg\" alt=\"MJS Reporter: We'd like to cover it. Veterans are an important issue.\nBrooks: Well, we'd like you to cover the race fairly.\nMJS Reporter: I believe we are covering it fairly.\nBrooks: We've got plenty of other press here. You're more than welcome to look at their coverage. They've been doing a great job covering this race, but you're gonna lie.\nMJS Reporter: I believe our coverage is fair. We've been requesting interviews for weeks. Veterans are an important issue. We want to provide coverage to our readers.\nBrooks: I agree that veterans are an important issue. That's why I would like the questions to be pertinent to what matters to veterans and not what matters to the narrative of the Milwaukee Journal.\nMJS Reporter: It's really unfortunate. \nBrooks: I can say the same about your coverage.\nMJS Reporter: Okay, what's your name?\nBrooks: My name's Eric.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1002\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript-1024x1002.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript-300x294.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript-768x752.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-986-2\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Enlace a la cobertura del incidente por el reportero de CBS A.J. Bayatpour: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/v\/1C3eBJWw9n\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/v\/1C3eBJWw9n\/<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Las acciones de Brooks en este incidente parecen ser una clara infracci\u00f3n de la primera enmienda. La libertad de prensa es una piedra angular de la democracia estadounidense.<br \/><br \/>Esta no es la primera vez que el miembro de la junta Brooks causa revuelo. La primavera pasada se descubri\u00f3 que Brooks era el custodio de un Comit\u00e9 de Acci\u00f3n Pol\u00edtica llamado \u201cForward Wisconsin 2026\u201d que estaba usando publicidad para atacar a una de sus compa\u00f1eras de la Junta Escolar de Waukesha, Diane Voit. Puedes leer m\u00e1s sobre el PAC en nuestra publicaci\u00f3n que se encuentra <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/p\/1Tt4oJhH9y\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">aqu\u00ed<\/a>.<\/strong><br \/><br \/>Est\u00e1 claro para cualquiera que preste atenci\u00f3n que Eric Brooks est\u00e1 m\u00e1s interesado en jugar a la pol\u00edtica y en violar los derechos de los estadounidenses que en servir a los estudiantes y familias de Waukesha. Con esto en mente, la Alianza por la Educaci\u00f3n en Waukesha considera que Brooks no es apto para formar parte de la junta escolar y lo insta a renunciar.<\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->        <\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eric Brooks is more interested in playing politics and infringing on the rights of Americans than he is serving the students and families in Waukesha. With this in mind, the Alliance for Education in Waukesha views Brooks as unfit to serve on the school board and calls on him to resign.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[97,98,16,28,25],"class_list":["post-983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alliance-statements","tag-eric-brooks","tag-politics","tag-rights","tag-school-board","tag-transparency","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author",""],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Waukesha School Board Member Eric Brooks Infringes on First Amendment - Alliance for Education in Waukesha<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Eric Brooks is more interested in playing politics and infringing on the First Amendment than he is serving the students and families in Waukesha.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/2026\/09\/27\/waukesha-school-board-member-eric-brooks-infringes-on-first-amendment\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Waukesha School Board Member Eric Brooks Infringes on First Amendment - 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Media were invited and encouraged by the Tiffany campaign to cover the event. While media were arriving, Waukesha School Board member Eric Brooks, who was elected to the board in 2024, identified himself as a campaign staffer and refused entrance to two Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporters. The Alliance for Education in Waukesha has reviewed a video of the incident and provided the following transcript in the photo below.<\/p> [caption id=\"attachment_986\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"]<a href=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript-1024x1002.jpg\" alt=\"MJS Reporter: We'd like to cover it. Veterans are an important issue. Brooks: Well, we'd like you to cover the race fairly. MJS Reporter: I believe we are covering it fairly. Brooks: We've got plenty of other press here. You're more than welcome to look at their coverage. They've been doing a great job covering this race, but you're gonna lie. MJS Reporter: I believe our coverage is fair. We've been requesting interviews for weeks. Veterans are an important issue. We want to provide coverage to our readers. Brooks: I agree that veterans are an important issue. That's why I would like the questions to be pertinent to what matters to veterans and not what matters to the narrative of the Milwaukee Journal. MJS Reporter: It's really unfortunate. Brooks: I can say the same about your coverage. MJS Reporter: Okay, what's your name? Brooks: My name's Eric.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1002\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript-1024x1002.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript-300x294.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript-768x752.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a> Link to CBS Reporter A.J. Bayatpour's coverage of the incident: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/v\/1C3eBJWw9n\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/v\/1C3eBJWw9n\/<\/a>[\/caption] <p>Brooks\u2019 actions in this incident seem to be a clear infringement of the first amendment. Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of American democracy.<\/p> <p>This isn\u2019t the first time board member Brooks has caused a stir. This past spring Brooks was found to be the custodian of a Political Action Committee named \u201cForward Wisconsin 2026\u201d that was using advertising to attack one of his fellow Waukesha School Board members, Diane Voit. You can read more about the PAC in our post found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/p\/1Tt4oJhH9y\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p> <p>It\u2019s clear to anyone paying attention that Eric Brooks is more interested in playing politics and infringing on the rights of Americans than he is serving the students and families in Waukesha. With this in mind, the Alliance for Education in Waukesha views Brooks as unfit to serve on the school board and calls on him to resign.<\/p>\n<a name=\"espanol\"><\/a>\n\n<h3>El miembro de la junta escolar de Waukesha, Eric Brooks, infringe la Primera Enmienda<br\/><\/h3>\n<p>El jueves 24 de septiembre de 2026, el candidato republicano a la gobernaci\u00f3n de Wisconsin, Tom Tiffany, realiz\u00f3 un evento electoral en Milwaukee centrado en las preocupaciones de los veteranos. Los medios fueron invitados y alentados por la campa\u00f1a de Tiffany a cubrir el evento. Mientras los medios llegaban, Eric Brooks, miembro de la Junta Escolar de Waukesha, quien fue elegido para la junta en 2024, se identific\u00f3 como personal de campa\u00f1a y neg\u00f3 la entrada a dos reporteros del Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. La Alianza por la Educaci\u00f3n en Waukesha ha revisado un video del incidente y proporcion\u00f3 la siguiente transcripci\u00f3n en la foto a continuaci\u00f3n.<\/p> [caption id=\"attachment_986\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"]<a href=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript-1024x1002.jpg\" alt=\"MJS Reporter: We'd like to cover it. Veterans are an important issue. Brooks: Well, we'd like you to cover the race fairly. MJS Reporter: I believe we are covering it fairly. Brooks: We've got plenty of other press here. You're more than welcome to look at their coverage. They've been doing a great job covering this race, but you're gonna lie. MJS Reporter: I believe our coverage is fair. We've been requesting interviews for weeks. Veterans are an important issue. We want to provide coverage to our readers. Brooks: I agree that veterans are an important issue. That's why I would like the questions to be pertinent to what matters to veterans and not what matters to the narrative of the Milwaukee Journal. MJS Reporter: It's really unfortunate. Brooks: I can say the same about your coverage. MJS Reporter: Okay, what's your name? Brooks: My name's Eric.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1002\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript-1024x1002.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript-300x294.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript-768x752.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/transcript.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a> Enlace a la cobertura del incidente por el reportero de CBS A.J. Bayatpour: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/v\/1C3eBJWw9n\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/v\/1C3eBJWw9n\/<\/a>[\/caption] <p>Las acciones de Brooks en este incidente parecen ser una clara infracci\u00f3n de la primera enmienda. La libertad de prensa es una piedra angular de la democracia estadounidense.<br \/><br \/>Esta no es la primera vez que el miembro de la junta Brooks causa revuelo. La primavera pasada se descubri\u00f3 que Brooks era el custodio de un Comit\u00e9 de Acci\u00f3n Pol\u00edtica llamado \u201cForward Wisconsin 2026\u201d que estaba usando publicidad para atacar a una de sus compa\u00f1eras de la Junta Escolar de Waukesha, Diane Voit. Puedes leer m\u00e1s sobre el PAC en nuestra publicaci\u00f3n que se encuentra <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/p\/1Tt4oJhH9y\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">aqu\u00ed<\/a>.<\/strong><br \/><br \/>Est\u00e1 claro para cualquiera que preste atenci\u00f3n que Eric Brooks est\u00e1 m\u00e1s interesado en jugar a la pol\u00edtica y en violar los derechos de los estadounidenses que en servir a los estudiantes y familias de Waukesha. Con esto en mente, la Alianza por la Educaci\u00f3n en Waukesha considera que Brooks no es apto para formar parte de la junta escolar y lo insta a renunciar.<\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=983"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":998,"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/983\/revisions\/998"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}