Education (K-12 and Higher Education)

Charter schools are schools operated according to a contract, known as a “charter,” between the charter school and a school board or another authorizing entity. The terms of the charters vary, but charter schools generally receive public funding, but are exempt from many state laws that apply to traditional public schools. According to Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction (DPI), charter schools were established in Wisconsin to “foster an environment for innovation and parental choice” and are intended to “exist as living laboratories that influence the larger public school system and introduce an element of competition within that system.”

Each child in Wisconsin between the ages of four and 20 is entitled to a free, public education. If a child has special educational needs, he or she is also entitled to an individualized education program (IEP) designed to meet the child’s needs and educate the child to his or her greatest potential.

Generally, children attend schools that are located within the school district where they reside (resident school district). However, under Wisconsin’s open enrollment laws, a child may attend a school that is located in a different school district (nonresident school district), unless his or her application is denied for one or more statutorily established reasons.

Parental choice programs allow eligible students to attend private schools using state-funded tuition vouchers. Wisconsin has four choice programs, commonly referred to as: (1) the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program; (2) the Racine Parental Choice Program; (3) the Statewide Parental Choice Program; and (4) the Special Needs Scholarship Program.

Federal and state law guarantee certain educational rights for students with disabilities. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the federal government grants money to the states to facilitate and ensure the appropriate education of children with disabilities. IDEA lays out processes, standards, and activities state educational agencies (SEAs), such as the Department of Public Instruction (DPI), must comply with in order to receive the federal money. State law further clarifies expectations of local educational agencies (LEAs), including school districts.

This information memorandum provides an overview of the protections provided by Title IX, the implementing regulations, and orders issued by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and a discussion of recent developments in Title IX, including the new sexual harassment guidelines and the applicability of Title IX to transgender students.

Article X, Section 3 of the Wisconsin Constitution and s. 121.77 (1) (a), Stats. guarantee a free public education to all children between the ages of four and 20 years old. However, some student conduct may justify the short- or long-term removal of a student from school, such as violation of statutory provisions, the code of conduct, or rules made by an administrator, principal, or teacher. School boards have broad authority to develop such rules and adopt a code of conduct to govern student behavior. This issue brief outlines Wisconsin’s suspension and expulsion laws including when a public school may suspend or expel a student, the procedures for each, and educational options for a suspended or expelled student.

This issue brief provides a general overview of the different types of public school districts and school district governance.

This issue brief provides a general overview of the information required by federal and state law to be published annually regarding state, district, and school performance and progress.