The Latest

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Religious private schools are automatically exempt from Title IX if there is a conflict between Title IX and a school’s religious beliefs, according to a clarification released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Friday, August 12. Schools do not have to preemptively submit a written request for a Title IX exemption in order to claim [...]

WCRIS has published an appendix to the 2020-21 WCRIS Legal Handbook. The appendix is designed to update principals on the latest legal information and recommend best practices that have emerged since our last edition. To save our members’ money, the appendix was created instead of printing a new handbook. It is only available electronically. WCRIS [...]

Private schools are required by state law to submit student immunization reports to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) 40 days after the beginning of the school year. Details can be found on page 47 of your 2020-21 WCRIS Legal Handbook. Please note that this is not a new mandate. DHS is hosting a [...]

You may want to help educate your staff and students about the renaming of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It is now the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can be accessed 24/7 by calling or texting 988 or by using the chat feature. The free and confidential helpline connects [...]

President Biden signed a new bipartisan gun safety law (the Safer Communities Act) on June 25 in response to the Uvalde, Texas school shooting. The Council for American Private Education (CAPE) petitioned Congress to allocate the funds to Title IV of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) so that private schools are able to participate. [...]

Question: If my school will no longer participate in the free and reduced price lunch program, should I tell my local public school district and, if so, how should I tell them? Answer: If your local public school district is operating as the food service authority or if you work with your district for the [...]

See below for a list of helpful resources as the new school year commences: Families are still able to apply to the Affordable Connectivity Program to help fund technology expenses. Learn more here. The Wisconsin School Safety Coordinators Association is hosting a free school safety webinar on August 17. Register here. The DPI has posted updated COVID-19 guidance for the 2022-23 school year. [...]

A new state law allows private schools to submit digital critical incident maps of their schools to the Wisconsin Department of Justice – Office of School Safety for use by first responders instead of blue prints. The law also provides grants to pay for the maps. Private schools are eligible to apply. Read the grant announcement here.

Wisconsin Parental Choice Program (WPCP) applicants who are placed on the waiting list due to lack of choice seats at the selected school can transfer their application to another WPCP school, according to the DPI’s updated policy. The DPI has notified parents of students on the WPCP waiting list about this change. Read the DPI’s updated [...]