On April 16, the Governor issued Executive Order #28, which extends the Safer-at-Home order to May 26. The Safer-at-Home Order closes school buildings for in-person student instructional purposes through the end of the 2019-2020 school year, which ends on June 30. The order does not change a school’s final attendance day for students. The order [...]
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Your source for timely and relevant K-12 school updates
Governor Signs COVID-19 Relief Bill
April 16, 2020
Addresses Problems for Schools Gov. Tony Evers signed 2020 Act 185 Wednesday (4/15) just after it passed in a special session of the Legislature, delivering much-needed relief from problems created by the COVID-19 pandemic. The DPI is uncertain whether the provisions of the bill allow Choice schools additional flexibility in accounting for federal Paycheck Protection [...]
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State Superintendent Applauds Private Schools
April 16, 2020
DPI Superintendent Carolyn Stanford Taylor thanked private K-12 schools for their efforts during school closures triggered by the pandemic. In a special letter to private school administrators just before Easter, she offered agency resources as a support as schools work to continue their educational missions. See the letter here.
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DPI Clarifies Hours of Instruction Requirement for Private Schools
April 02, 2020
The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) confirmed in a call Thursday that a waiver of the annual 875 hours of instruction is not needed for private K-12 schools. The pronouncement came after two weeks of negotiations and discussion with WCRIS and other stakeholders. Agency representatives said that since private schools have already reported their annual [...]
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Gov Order: Stay at Home Until April 24
March 24, 2020
Gov. Tony Evers issued an Executive Order Tuesday instituting a “Safe at Home” policy for the State of Wisconsin. The Order takes effect at 8 am Wednesday, March 25 and will remain in effect until 8 am Friday, April 24, or until a superseding order is issued. “Protecting the health and safety of Wisconsinites across [...]
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WCRIS Staff Will Work Remotely
March 18, 2020
As WCRIS continues to advocate for private K-12 schools in Wisconsin amid the spread of COVID-19, we want to assure you that WCRIS remains operational. In line with recommendations from the CDC, our team will begin working remotely tomorrow, March 19. Due to the nature of working remotely, some communications and other services may be [...]
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Schools to Remain Closed Indefinitely
March 17, 2020
Governor Tony Evers has asked the Department of Health Services (DHS) to ban all gatherings of 10 or more people and has ordered that all schools in Wisconsin remain closed for the length of the public health crisis. This new order replaces the April 6, 2020 end date for K-12 school closures. Starting at 5 [...]
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WCRIS Attends White House Conference Call
March 16, 2020
WCRIS was one of 900 organizations from around the nation that was invited to attend a White House conference call on COVID-19 for faith leaders Thursday afternoon. The conference included a briefing from Dr. Deborah Birx, a lead physician on the President’s task force addressing the pandemic, and representatives from Vice President Mike Pence’s office [...]
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Principal Questions on Virtual Instruction and COVID-19
March 13, 2020
State law allows public schools to create virtual learning days. This would allow them to not have to make-up snow days. Has the law been changed to include private schools? The reason for asking is that we are concerned about COVID-19 and the potential closing of schools if an outbreak occurs. Can we plan to [...]
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Dr. Desautels’ Promised Resources
March 13, 2020
The WCRIS Leadership Conference was a big hit last Friday, thanks to the awesome content of keynote presenter Dr. Lori Desautels, who enlightened nearly 150 administrators on how to create a trauma-sensitive school environment, and the brain research behind those tactics. At the request of many principals, WCRIS is looking at bringing Dr. Desautels, or [...]
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