SB231: Bill Text

LRB-2460/1

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2021 - 2022 LEGISLATURE

2021 Senate BILL 231

March 24, 2021 - Introduced by Senators Testin, L. Taylor, Ballweg, Cowles and Feyen, cosponsored by Representatives Oldenburg, Petryk, Allen, Armstrong, Bowen, Cabral-Guevara, Dallman, Dittrich, Edming, Gundrum, Haywood, Jagler, Knodl, Moses, Murphy, Mursau, Novak, Plumer, Ramthun, Rozar, Snyder, Tauchen, Thiesfeldt, Tittl, Tranel, VanderMeer, Wichgers, Wittke, Zimmerman and Spiros. Referred to Committee on Economic and Workforce Development.

SB231,1,2 An Act to amend 115.385 (4) and 118.57 (1) of the statutes; relating to: providing information about educational options offered in a school district.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, each public school, including a charter school, and private school participating in a parental choice program must annually provide the parent or guardian of each pupil enrolled in the school with a copy of the school's accountability report, commonly referred to as the school report card. Current law also requires the school to provide a list of the educational options available to children residing in the pupil's resident school district at the same time the school provides the school report card to parents and guardians. In addition, under current law, each school board must annually publish as notice and post on the school board's Internet site a description of the educational options available to children in the school district.

This bill specifies that the youth apprenticeship program administered by the Department of Workforce Development must be included in the list of educational options that a school provides to parents and guardians and in the description of educational options published and posted on the Internet by a school board. The bill also creates an exception for a school or school board that does not operate high school grades. Under the exception, a school or school board that does not operate high school grades is not required to include an educational option that is available only to high school pupils in the list or description of educational options. For example, under the bill, an elementary school is not required to include the early college credit program, the part-time open enrollment program, or the youth apprenticeship program in the list of educational options it provides to parents and guardians of pupils enrolled in the elementary school.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

SB231,1 Section 1 . 115.385 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB231,2,14 115.385 (4) Annually, each public school, including a charter school, and each private school participating in a parental choice program under s. 118.60 or 119.23 shall provide a copy of the school's accountability report to the parent or guardian of each pupil enrolled in or attending the school. Each school shall simultaneously provide to the parent or guardian of each pupil enrolled in the school a list of the educational options available to children who reside in the pupil's resident school district, including public schools, private schools participating in a parental choice program, charter schools, virtual schools, full-time or part-time open enrollment in a nonresident school district, the youth apprenticeship program under s. 106.13, the early college credit program, and options for pupils enrolled in a home-based private educational program. A school that does not operate high school grades is not required to include an educational option that is offered only to high school pupils in a list of educational options provided under this subsection.

SB231,2 Section 2 . 118.57 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB231,3,3 118.57 (1) Annually, by January 31, each school board shall publish as a class 1 notice, under ch. 985, and post on its Internet site a description of the educational options available to children in the school district, including public schools, private schools participating in a parental choice program, charter schools, virtual schools, full-time or part-time open enrollment in a nonresident school district, the youth apprenticeship program under s. 106.13, and the early college credit program. A school board that does not operate high school grades is not required to include an educational option offered only to high school pupils in a description of educational options under this subsection.

SB231,3,4 (End)