(c) Annually by August 1, a school participating in the choice program that is not a first time participant shall submit to the department updates to any of the information submitted under s. 118.60 (6m) (a) or (6m) (b) 4., Stats. Also, the school shall submit to the department the form specified in par. (d). (d) The board signatures required under s. 118.60 (6m) (c), Stats., and the mailing addresses of board members shall be submitted to the department on a form provided by the department. (8) Accreditation Requirements. Annually by January 15, a school that is fully accredited under s. 118.60 (2) (a) 7., Stats., shall provide to the department a letter from the school’s accrediting agency stating whether the school is accredited as of the date of the letter. The letter shall meet all of the following requirements: (a) The letter shall include the following information:
1. The school’s name.
2. The school’s address for each location included in the accreditation.
3. The grades accredited.
4. A statement that the school is or is not accredited as of the date of the letter.
(b) The letter shall be dated no earlier than the beginning of the school year.
(c) The letter shall be signed by an authorized member of the accrediting agency.
(9) HOURS OF INSTRUCTION and Annual School Board Meetings.
(a) Annually by May 1, a school continuing in the private school choice programs shall report to the department the hours of instruction for the upcoming school year on a form provided by the department.
(b) Notwithstanding par. (a), by January 10 of the school year immediately preceding a school’s first year of participation in the private school choice programs, a school shall report to the department the hours of instruction for the upcoming school year on a form provided by the department.
(c) Annually by October 15, a school shall report to the department the first and last dates of its current school term.
(d) Annually by October 15, a school shall report the dates of the two school board meetings for the current school year required under s. 118.60 (7) (b) 3m., Stats. (e) A school shall revise the reports in pars. (a) to (d) if it changes its hours of instruction. The school shall submit revisions to the department by May 15 of the current school year. A school may not shorten its school term after the start of the school term without prior written approval from the department.
PI 48.04 School Fees.
(1) PI 35.03(6)(a)A school may not charge pupils participating in a choice program for field trips if the school requires the trip for a class, is a part of the school’s curriculum, or is part of the hours of instruction. (2) A school may have a written policy indicating it will charge a fine for lost, damaged, or unreturned school property. The amount of the fine may not exceed the cost of the item.
(3) A school may not impose any fee or other sanction on a parent or pupil for failure to engage in fund raising.
PI 48.05 Pupil application requirements.
(1) DEFINITIONS. In this section:
(a) “Continuing pupil” means an applicant to the Racine parental choice program who participated in the Racine parental choice program on the immediately preceding count date or participated in the Wisconsin parental choice program on one of the count dates in the immediately preceding school year, or an applicant to the Wisconsin parental choice program who participated in the Wisconsin parental choice program on the immediately preceding count date.
(b) “Prior year” means the calendar year prior to the school year for which the applicant is applying.
(c) “Family Size” means the number of people who reside together as part of the same household and who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption. Family size includes parents, pupil applicants, and other children who share at least one parent by birth, adoption or by a parent’s current marriage. A parent on military duty is considered to be residing in the household.
(d) “Family income” means the federal adjusted gross income of the parents included in the family size.
(e) “Designee” has the meaning in s. 118.60 (1) (ag) (2), Stats. (2) RESIDENCY ELIGIBILITY. A school shall obtain one of the residency documents specified by the department from an applicant’s parent that shows the applicant resides at the address on the application at the time of application. The residency document shall be dated no earlier than three months prior to the start of the open application period in which an applicant applies. If a school receives a lease agreement as a residency document, the lease term shall include the date the application was received. The document shall contain the parent name and match the address on the application.
(3) ADDRESS VERIFICATION. A school shall verify an applicant’s address listed on the residency documentation under sub. (2) as follows:
(a) If a pupil is applying to the Racine parental choice program, the school shall verify that the address on the application is in the Racine Unified School District using the Racine Unified School District’s transportation information, the state of Wisconsin’s Statewide Voter Registration System or another manner permitted by the department.
(b) If a pupil is applying to the Wisconsin parental choice program, the school shall verify that the address on the application is in the Wisconsin school district listed on the application but not in the Racine Unified School District or City of Milwaukee using the state of Wisconsin’s Statewide Voter Registration System or another manner permitted by the department.
(4) INCOME ELIGIBILITY. A continuing pupil or a pupil on a choice program waiting list in the preceding school year in the same choice program they are apply to is not subject to the income requirements for the choice programs. A school shall determine if all other applicants meet the income eligibility requirements under s. 118.60(2)(a), Stats., as follows: (a) A school shall obtain the income documentation required by the parent application from the parent. The school shall ensure the information on the income documentation matches the information provided in the online parent application.
(b) A school shall determine whether a pupil is income eligible for the program based on the family size and prior year family income.
(c) A pupil shall be determined ineligible if the application indicates the parent did not receive any income and the application does not contain a sufficient explanation of how basic needs are met.
(d) A pupil shall be determined ineligible if the explanation of how basic needs are met states that income or government assistance was received, but the application states the parent listed on the application did not receive income or participate in government assistance programs.
(5) AGE REQUIREMENT. In order to be eligible for the choice program, a 4-year-old kindergarten pupil, 5-year-old kindergarten pupil, and a first grade pupil shall attain the ages specified in s. 118.14, Stats. (6) APPLICATION RECEIPT. A school may only receive an application during an open application period selected by the school under s. PI 48.03 (3) (a) 3 or (4) (c). The school shall receive all documentation, including the documentation required under subs. (2) and (4), during the same open application period in which the school receives the application. (7) INELIGIBLE APPLICATIONS. An application shall be determined ineligible if any of the following apply:
(a) The application does not comply with this section or s. 118.60, Stats., and a correction of the application under sub. (8) is not allowable. (b) The application contains contradictory information.
(8) CORRECTING APPLICATIONS. A school shall correct an application in the following circumstances and manner:
(a) The school shall correct an application by December 15 for applications received during an open application period prior to the third Friday in September and by May 1 for applications received during an open application period after the third Friday in September. If the school does not correct the application as required in this subsection by the specified date, the application is ineligible.
(b) The school shall obtain additional residency documentation after the open application period in which the application was received that meets the requirements in sub. (2) if all of the following apply:
1. The school received residency documentation from the parent during the open application period in which the application was received and the residency documentation contained an address and the name of the parent, even if the parent’s name is misspelled or is a different legal name for the parent.
2. The additional residency documentation is in the parent’s name, contains the parent’s correct address, and meets the requirements in sub. (3).
(c) The school shall obtain a tax transcript for each parent on the application showing that the family is income eligible for the program if both of the following apply:
1. The application indicates the parent on the application received income.
2. The income documentation provided by the parent during the open application period in which the application was received is not for the correct year or is not the required document for the type of income included on the application.
(d) The school shall obtain a tax transcript for each parent on the application showing a verification of non-filing and support that the parent received the government assistance identified on the application, or a tax transcript showing the parent did not receive any income if both of the following apply:
1. The application indicates the parent on the application did not receive income but participated in government assistance programs.
2. The government assistance programs documentation provided by the parent during the open application period in which the application was received is not for the correct year or is not the required document for the type of government assistance included on the application.
(e) The school shall obtain documentation showing that the pupil participated in kinship or foster care if the application indicates the pupil participated in the kinship or foster care program but the school did not receive documentation that complies with the requirements in sub. (4).
PI 48.06 School year enrollment.
PI 35.04(3)(1) APPLICATION ACCEPTANCE. A school may not accept pupil applications until the school has completed all of the following: PI 35.04(3)(a)(a) The school has submitted to the department its notice of intent to participate for the following school year. (b) The department has approved the school’s plan for randomly selecting pupils to participate in the school’s program or the school has adopted the random selection agreement provided by the department as set forth under s. PI 48.03 (3) (a) or (4) (a). (c) The school has paid the nonrefundable auditor fee required under s. 118.60 (2) (a) 3., Stats. PI 35.04(1)(2) APPLICATION ELIGIBILITY & VERIFICATION DETERMINATION. (a) A school participating in the Racine parental choice program shall make application eligibility determinations based on the requirements in s. PI 48.05 prior to random selection, prior to the next application period, within 60 days after the school receives the application, or prior to the next count date, whichever occurs first. Applications determined eligible shall also be verified in the online application system within 60 days after the school receives the application or prior to the next count date, whichever occurs first. (b) Within the time period specified under s. 118.60 (3) (ar) 2., Stats., a school participating in the Wisconsin parental choice program shall determine and verify in the online application system if an application meets the eligibility requirements in s. PI 48.05. (3) RANDOM SELECTION. A school participating in the Racine parental choice program shall accept pupils on a random basis in accordance with the method submitted to the department and approved under s. PI 48.03 (3) (a) 1. or (4) (a). Except as provided in s. 118.60 (3) (ar), Stats., a school participating in a Wisconsin parental choice program shall accept pupils on a random basis in accordance with the method submitted and approved under s. PI 48.03 (3) (a) 1 or (4) (a). PI 35.04(4) (4) APPLICATION RETENTION. PI 35.04(4)(a)A school shall retain the following records for at least 5 years from the end of the school year in which the pupil applied to the school unless the department or a law enforcement agency requires the school to retain the records for a longer period: (a) Electronic or paper copies of pupil paper applications and supporting income and residency documentation required under s. PI 48.05 (2) and (4) for all accepted and non-accepted choice pupils who have submitted applications to the school. (b) Copies of all notices to a pupil or pupil’s parent regarding acceptance and non-acceptance.
(c) Any other correspondence related to a pupil.
(5) SIMULTANEOUSLY ENROLLED PUPIL. PI 35.04(4)(b)A A pupil participating in a private school choice program may not be simultaneously enrolled, in or out of Wisconsin, in another private school, a home-based private educational program, a charter school under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x), Stats., or a public school district and receive a private school choice program payment under s. 118.60, Stats. A pupil receiving a payment under s. 118.60, Stats., may not receive a payment under s. 115.7915 (4m), Stats. (6) FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT. The amount paid by the department to a school under s. 118.60 (4), Stats., shall be based on the full-time equivalent for each pupil times the payment amount in s. 118.60 (4), Stats. The full-time equivalent shall be determined as follows: (a) Pupils in grades one through 12 shall be one full-time equivalent.
(b) A kindergarten pupil shall be one-half full-time equivalent except as follows:
PI 35.02(8)(c)1.a.1. A pupil enrolled in a 5-year-old kindergarten program requiring full-day attendance for 5 days a week for an entire school year shall be one full-time equivalent. PI 35.02(8)(c)1.b.2. The full-time equivalent for a pupil enrolled in a 5-year-old kindergarten program requiring full-day attendance for fewer than 5 days a week for an entire school year shall be calculated as follows: a. Multiply the number of hours in each day in which the pupil is enrolled by the total number of days for which the pupil is enrolled.
b. Divide the result under subd. 2. a. by the product of the number of hours of attendance per day required of first grade pupils in the public school district in which the school is located.
c. Multiply the result under subd. 2. b. by 180.
d. Round the result under subd. 2. c. to one decimal point.
PI 35.02(8)(c)2.PI 35.02(8)(d)3. A school may count a pupil enrolled in a 4-year-old kindergarten program that provides the required number of hours of direct pupil instruction under s. 121.02 (1) (f), Stats., as a 0.6 pupil if the program also annually provides at least 87.5 additional hours of 4-year-old kindergarten outreach activities. 4. For purposes of subds. 1. and 2., "full-day" means the length of the school day required for first grade pupils in the public school district in which a school is operating. (7) SEPTEMBER 1 APPLICATION AND CLASS LIST SUBMISSION. Annually by September 1, a school shall submit to the department in the online application system or other manner specified by the department all of the following:
(a) All accepted applications.
(b) A class list of all pupils participating in each choice program enrolled in the school.
(c) A pupil count report stating the number of pupils participating in each choice program by grade level.
PI 35.04(6)(8) APPLICATION SUBMISSION AND PUPIL COUNT REPORTS. Annually by October 1 and February 1, a school shall submit to the department, using the online application system or other manner specified by the department, all of the following:
