Education (K-12 and Higher Education)

State law requires parents to have their students “attend school regularly,” unless the parent provides an acceptable excuse. A student who misses a certain amount of school without an acceptable excuse is deemed “truant” or “habitually truant,” and schools must take certain actions to notify parents. School boards have considerable discretion to determine what constitutes an acceptable excuse for missing school.

Wisconsin statutes provide tuition and fee remission for qualifying veterans and their family members at University of Wisconsin System and Wisconsin Technical College System institutions. This state educational benefit, commonly referred to as the “Wisconsin GI Bill,” is in addition to any federal education benefits veterans and their family may be eligible for, namely the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Montgomery GI Bill for Active Duty and Selected Reserve. This issue brief will summarize the eligibility requirements and benefits under the Wisconsin GI Bill for veterans and their family members.

This information memorandum provides an overview of the statutory requirements applicable to the University of Wisconsin (UW) System set forth in ch. 36, Stats. Chapter 36, Stats., grants broad authority and responsibility to the UW Board of Regents (BOR) to operate the UW System. In addition, ch. 36, Stats., contains provisions relating to faculty and student governance; eligibility for in-state tuition; faculty and academic staff layoffs and termination; numerous special programs that the UW System must offer; and tuition remission programs. This information memorandum also references certain BOR policies and administrative rules where added detail is relevant.

Federal and state law require the regular assessment of K-12 students. The Department of Public Instruction oversees the state assessment system and ensures that every school board, independent charter school, and private school participating in a parental choice program annually administers required assessments.

This information memorandum describes the federal and state assessment requirements, explains what accommodations must be made for students with disabilities and English language learners, and addresses when a student may be excused from assessment.

State law defines a school bus as a motor vehicle capable of carrying 10 or more passengers in addition to the operator to or from school, curricular or extracurricular activities, or religious instruction on a day school is in session, or children with disabilities to an approved educational program. In addition to any requirements in federal or state law, the state Department of Transportation has authority to issue rules on the design, construction, inspection, and operation of a school bus.

In Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, the U.S. Supreme Court held that university admissions policies that consider race outside of an individualized context are impermissible under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Court’s decision effectively, though not expressly, overturned prior decisions that had upheld raceconscious admissions policies if the policies allowed for the consideration of race as one of many factors, as part of a holistic review of each applicant. The Court’s decision does not, however, prevent admissions officers from considering a student’s own discussion of how race has impacted the student’s life. This issue brief describes the Court’s prior precedents on race-conscious admissions policies as well as the Court’s holding in Students for Fair Admissions.

While a school board has broad authority to determine its district’s course of study, state law requires that course of study to account for and include several specific topics. Generally, each school board is required to provide an instructional program designed to enable students to meet statutorily specified educational goals related to academic skills and knowledge, vocational skills, citizenship, and personal development. This issue brief outlines the various other requirements related to curriculum and instruction in public schools in Wisconsin.

Federal school nutrition programs provide funding for states to reimburse schools for the costs of providing meals to students. These include the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP), which are administered at the federal, state, and local levels.