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 conduct school virtually?
There was a bill introduced this past year to address this issue. But, it was dropped because lawmakers felt it wasn’t needed since the courts ruled that voucher school virtual instruction can be counted towards DPI’s required hours of instruction.
A story in our Current Events outlined the details about a lawsuit waged for private schools in the state’s Choice programs by our friends at the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL).
And, this story by the Associated Press in the Wisconsin State Journal, quotes the DPI on how it plans to modify their policies on virtual instruction since losing the lawsuit.
The WILL lawsuit has ended the days of treating online instruction differently for public and voucher school students.
As for non-Choice schools, state law has fewer required hours of instruction. Non-Choice schools are not bound by rules governing public or Choice schools. They are free to use virtual instruction as they wish.
