Chapter 115

115.365 115.365 Assistance to schools for suicide prevention programs.

115.365(1) (1) The purpose of this section is to enable and encourage public, private, and tribal schools to develop programs designed to prevent suicide among minors.

115.365(2) (2) The department, in conjunction with the department of health services and the department of children and families, shall:

115.365(2)(a) (a) Develop and conduct training programs in suicide prevention for the professional staff of public, private, and tribal schools and county departments under ss. 46.215, 46.22, and 51.42. The programs shall include information on how to assist minors in the positive emotional development which will help prevent suicidal tendencies; the detection, by minors, school staff, and parents, of conditions which indicate suicidal tendencies; the proper action to take when there is reason to believe that a minor has suicidal tendencies or is contemplating suicide; and the coordination of school suicide prevention programs and activities with the suicide prevention and intervention programs and activities of other state and local agencies. Persons other than the professional staff of public, private, and tribal schools and county departments under ss. 46.215, 46.22, and 51.42 may attend the training programs. The department may charge such persons a fee sufficient to cover the increased costs to the department of their participation in the programs.

115.365(2)(b) (b) Provide consultation and technical assistance to public, private, and tribal schools for the development and implementation of suicide prevention programs and the coordination of those programs with the suicide prevention and intervention programs of other state and local agencies.

115.365(3) (3) Each school board and the governing body of each private school annually shall inform their professional staff of the resources available from the department and other sources regarding suicide prevention. The department annually shall provide school boards and the governing bodies of private and tribal schools with a model notice, describing the suicide prevention services that it has developed and how staff may access those services, that school boards and governing bodies of private and tribal schools may use to inform their professional staff.

115.365 History History: 1985 a. 29, 176; 1987 a. 403; 1995 a. 27 s. 9126 (19); 2007 a. 20 ss. 2690, 9121 (6) (a); 2007 a. 220; 2009 a. 302.

115.366 115.366 Grants to support peer-to-peer suicide prevention programs.

115.366(1) (1) Grant program. The department shall establish and implement a competitive grant program to award grants for the purpose of supporting peer-to-peer suicide prevention programs in public, private, and tribal schools that operate high school grades. A recipient of a grant under this section may use the grant to support an existing peer-to-peer suicide prevention program or to implement a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program at a school at which pupils attend high school grades. In awarding grants under this section, the department shall give preference to applications for a grant to implement a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program.

115.366(2) (2) Eligible entities. Any of the following that operates high school grades may apply for a grant under this section:

115.366(2)(a) (a) A school board.

115.366(2)(b) (b) An operator of a charter school under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x).

115.366(2)(c) (c) The governing body of a private school.

115.366(2)(d) (d) A tribal school.

115.366(3) (3) Awards. Beginning in the 2020-21 school year, from the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (du), the department shall award up to $1,000 for each school for which a grant is awarded under sub. (1).

115.366(4) (4) Renewals. A recipient of a grant under this section may apply to renew a grant to implement or support a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program at a specific school. The department may renew a grant under this subsection without requiring the applicant to participate in the competitive application processes established under sub. (1). The department may renew a grant to support a peer-to-peer suicide prevention program at a specific school up to 3 times.

115.366(5) (5) Rules. The department may promulgate rules to implement and administer this section.

115.366 History History: 2019 a. 83.

115.367 115.367 School-based mental health services grants.

115.367(1) (1) Grant program. The department shall establish and administer a program to award grants to school boards and operators of charter schools under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x) for the purpose of collaborating with mental health providers to provide mental health services to pupils.

115.367(1m) (1m) Grant amount. Beginning in the 2023-24 school year and in each school year thereafter, the department shall award a grant under this section to each school board and operator of a charter school established under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x), from the appropriation under s. 20.255 (2) (dt), in an amount determined as follows:

115.367(1m)(a) (a) Add the total number of pupils enrolled, as defined in s. 115.437 (1), in school districts statewide to the total number of pupils attending charter schools established under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x) statewide in the current school year.

115.367(1m)(b) (b) Divide the number of pupils enrolled, as defined in s. 115.437 (1), in the school district or attending the charter school in the current school year by the sum under par. (a).

115.367(1m)(c) (c) Multiply the quotient under par. (b) by the total amount appropriated under s. 20.255 (2) (dt) for the current school year.

115.367(4) (4) Rules. The department shall promulgate rules to implement and administer this section.

115.367 History History: 2017 a. 59; 2023 a. 19.

115.368 115.368 Assistance to schools for protective behaviors programs.

115.368(1) (1) The purpose of this section is to enable and encourage public, private, and tribal schools to develop protective behaviors programs and anti-offender behavior programs designed to assist minors and their parents or guardians in recognizing, avoiding, preventing, and halting physically or psychologically intrusive or abusive situations that may be harmful to minors.

115.368(2) (2) The department, in conjunction with the department of health services and the department of children and families, and after consulting with established organizations providing services with a focus on children of risk, shall:

115.368(2)(a) (a) Develop and conduct protective behaviors training programs for the professional staff of public, private, and tribal schools and counties under ss. 46.034, 46.215, 46.22, 46.23, 51.42, and 51.437. The training programs shall include information on how to assist a minor and his or her parent or guardian in recognizing, avoiding, preventing, and halting physically or psychologically intrusive or abusive situations that may be harmful to the minor, including child abuse, sexual abuse, and child enticement. The training programs shall emphasize how to help minors to develop positive psychological, emotional, and problem-solving responses to such situations, and to avoid relying on negative, fearful, or solely reactive methods of dealing with such situations. The training programs shall also include information on the detection, by other minors, their parents or guardians, and school staff, of conditions that indicate that a minor is being or has been subjected to such situations; the proper action to take when there is reason to believe that a minor is being or has been subjected to such situations; and the coordination of school protective behaviors programs and activities with programs and activities of other state and local agencies. Persons other than the professional staff of public, private, and tribal schools and counties under ss. 46.034, 46.215, 46.22, 46.23, 51.42, and 51.437 may attend the training programs. The department may charge such persons a fee sufficient to cover the increased costs of materials, but not personnel cost, to the department of their participation in the programs. The department may not deny any resident of Wisconsin the opportunity to participate in a program if the person is unable to pay any fee.

115.368(2)(b) (b) Provide consultation and technical assistance to public, private, and tribal schools for the development and implementation of protective behaviors programs and the coordination of those programs with programs of other state and local agencies.

115.368 History History: 1985 a. 213; 1985 a. 332 ss. 153, 253; 1995 a. 27 s. 9126 (19); 2007 a. 20 ss. 2691, 9121 (6) (a); 2009 a. 302.

115.37 115.37 Blind and visual impairment education council.

115.37(1) (1) In this section:

115.37(1)(a) (a) “Council” means the blind and visual impairment education council.

115.37(1)(b) (b) “Visually impaired” has the meaning given in s. 115.51 (4).

115.37(2) (2) The state superintendent shall seek the advice of and consult with the council on issues related to persons who are visually impaired. The state superintendent and the director of the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, or their designees, shall attend meetings of the council.

115.37(3) (3) The council shall do all of the following:

115.37(3)(a) (a) Meet at least twice each year.

115.37(3)(b) (b) Advise the state superintendent on such statewide services, activities, programs, investigations and research as in its judgment will benefit pupils who are visually impaired.

115.37(3)(c) (c) Make recommendations for the improvement of services provided by the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

115.37(3)(d) (d) Review the level and quality of services available to pupils in the state who are visually impaired and make recommendations about those services.

115.37(3)(e) (e) Propose to the state superintendent ways to improve the preparation of teachers and other staff who provide services to pupils who are visually impaired.

115.37(3)(f) (f) Propose to the state superintendent ways to improve coordination between the department and other agencies in providing services to persons who are visually impaired.

115.37(4) (4) The council may initiate consultations with the department.

115.37(5) (5) The council shall have access to public files, public records and statistics kept in the department that relate to matters concerning children who are visually impaired.

115.37 History History: 1971 c. 292; 1995 a. 27 s. 9145 (1); 1997 a. 27, 164; 1999 a. 9.

115.372 115.372 Deaf and hard-of-hearing education council.

115.372(1) (1) In this section:

115.372(1)(a) (a) “Council” means the deaf and hard-of-hearing education council.

115.372(1)(b) (b) “Hearing impaired” has the meaning given in s. 115.51 (2).

115.372(2) (2) The state superintendent shall seek the advice of and consult with the council on issues related to persons who are hearing impaired. The state superintendent and the director of the Wisconsin Educational Services Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, or their designees, shall attend meetings of the council.

115.372(3) (3) The council shall do all of the following:

115.372(3)(a) (a) Meet at least twice each year.

115.372(3)(b) (b) Advise the state superintendent on such statewide services, activities, programs, investigations, and research as in its judgment will benefit pupils who are hearing impaired.

115.372(3)(c) (c) Make recommendations for the improvement of services provided by the Wisconsin Educational Services Program for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

115.372(3)(d) (d) Review the level and quality of services available to pupils in the state who are hearing impaired and make recommendations about those services.

115.372(3)(e) (e) Propose to the state superintendent ways to improve the preparation of teachers and other staff who provide services to pupils who are hearing impaired.

115.372(3)(f) (f) Propose to the state superintendent ways to improve coordination between the department and other agencies in providing services to persons who are hearing impaired.

115.372(4) (4) The council may initiate consultations with the department.

115.372(5) (5) The council shall have access to public files, public records, and statistics kept in the department that relate to matters concerning children who are hearing impaired.

115.372 History History: 2001 a. 57.

115.38 115.38 School performance report; educational program review.

115.38(1) (1) The state superintendent shall develop a school and school district performance report for use by school districts under sub. (2). The report shall include all of the following by school and by school district:

115.38(1)(a) (a) Indicators of academic achievement, including the performance of pupils on the tests administered under s. 121.02 (1) (r), the performance of pupils on assessments required under s. 118.016 (3), and the performance of pupils, by subject area, on the statewide assessment examinations administered under s. 118.30.

115.38(1)(b) (b)

115.38(1)(b)1. 1. Other indicators of school and school district performance, including dropout, attendance, retention in grade and graduation rates; percentage of habitual truants, as defined in s. 118.16 (1) (a); percentage of pupils participating in extracurricular and community activities and advanced placement courses; percentage of graduates enrolled in postsecondary educational programs; and percentage of graduates entering the workforce.

115.38(1)(b)2. 2. The numbers of suspensions and expulsions; the reasons for which pupils are suspended or expelled, reported according to categories specified by the state superintendent; the length of time for which pupils are expelled, reported according to categories specified by the state superintendent; whether pupils return to school after their expulsion; the educational programs and services, if any, provided to pupils during their expulsions, reported according to categories specified by the state superintendent; the schools attended by pupils who are suspended or expelled; and the grade, sex and ethnicity of pupils who are suspended or expelled and whether the pupils are children with disabilities, as defined in s. 115.76 (5).

115.38(1)(c) (c) Staffing and financial data information, as determined by the state superintendent, not to exceed 10 items. The state superintendent may not request a school board to provide information solely for the purpose of including the information in the report under this paragraph.

115.38(1)(d) (d) The number and percentage of resident pupils attending a course in a nonresident school district under s. 118.52, the number of nonresident pupils attending a course in the school district under s. 118.52, and the courses taken by those pupils.

115.38(1)(e) (e) The method of reading instruction used in the school district and the textbook series used to teach reading in the school district.

115.38(2) (2) 

115.38(2)(a) (a) Annually by January 1, each school board shall notify the parent or guardian of each pupil enrolled in the school district of the right to request a school and school district performance report under this subsection. Except as provided in par. (b), annually by May 1, each school board shall, upon request, distribute to the parent or guardian of each pupil enrolled in the school district, including pupils enrolled in charter schools located in the school district, or give to each pupil to bring home to his or her parent or guardian, a school and school district performance report that includes the information specified by the state superintendent under sub. (1). The report shall also include a comparison of the school district’s performance under sub. (1) (a) and (b) with the performance of other school districts in the same athletic conference under sub. (1) (a) and (b). If the school district maintains an Internet site, the report shall be made available to the public at that site.

115.38(2)(b) (b) If a school board enters into an agreement with a federally recognized American Indian tribe or band in this state to establish a charter school, that school board shall, upon request, distribute to the parent or guardian of each pupil enrolled in the charter school a school and school district performance report that includes the information specified by the state superintendent under sub. (1), regardless of the location of the charter school.

115.38(3) (3) Annually, the state superintendent shall publish and distribute to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) a summary of the reports under sub. (2).

115.38(4) (4) Beginning in the 1993-94 school year and annually thereafter, the state superintendent shall identify those school districts that are low in performance and those schools in which there are pupils enrolled who do not meet the state minimum performance standards on the examinations administered under s. 118.30. The state superintendent shall make recommendations regarding how the programs and operations of the identified school districts and schools may be improved and periodically assess school district implementation of the recommendations.

115.38 History History: 1991 a. 39, 269; 1993 a. 16; 1995 a. 27 s. 9145 (1); 1997 a. 27, 244; 1999 a. 9; 2001 a. 16; 2005 a. 62; 2009 a. 28; 2013 a. 20; 2017 a. 59; 2023 a. 20.

115.383 115.383 Student information system.

115.383(1) (1) 

115.383(1)(a) (a) Develop a proposal for a multiple-vendor student information system for the standardized collection of pupil data. The proposal shall allow schools and school districts to use their vendor of choice and include reporting requirements that can reasonably be met by multiple vendors. The state superintendent may not establish a student information system unless the proposal is approved by the joint committee on finance under par. (b).

115.383(1)(b) (b) Submit the proposal to the joint committee on finance for its approval, disapproval, or modification. If the joint committee on finance approves the proposal, or modifies and approves the proposal, the state superintendent shall implement the proposal and the joint committee on finance may release to the state superintendent funds from the appropriation under s. 20.865 (4) (a) for the purpose of paying the costs incurred by schools and school districts to meet the proposal’s reporting requirements.

115.383(1)(c) (c) If the proposal is approved under par. (b), the state superintendent shall ensure that information about pupils enrolled in charter schools and about pupils enrolled in private schools participating in a parental choice program under s. 118.60 or 119.23, including their academic performance and demographic information, aggregated by school district, school, and teacher, is collected and maintained in the student information system.

115.383(2) (2) If the student information system is established under sub. (1), each school district, charter school, and private school using the system under sub. (1) shall include in the system the following information for each teacher teaching in the school district or school who completed a teacher education program described in s. 115.28 (7) (a) or (e) 2. and located in this state on or after January 1, 2012, or, for each teacher teaching in a private school participating in a parental choice program under s. 118.60 or 119.23, who obtained a bachelor’s degree from an institution located in this state on or after July 1, 2010:

115.383(2)(a) (a) The name of the teacher education program the teacher attended and completed or the name of the institution from which the teacher obtained a bachelor’s degree.

115.383(2)(b) (b) The term or semester and year in which the teacher completed the teacher education program or obtained a bachelor’s degree.

115.383(3) (3) 

115.383(3)(a) (a) If the student information system is established under sub. (1), the state superintendent shall ensure that within 5 years of the establishment of the system, every school district and every charter school, other than a charter school established under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x), is using the system.

115.383(3)(b) (b) Beginning in the 2015-16 school year, the state superintendent shall ensure that every charter school established under s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x) and every private school participating in a parental choice program under s. 118.60 or 119.23 is either using the system under sub. (1) or is using a system that is commercially available and able to obtain pupil identification numbers under sub. (5).

115.383(3)(c) (c) If the student information system is established under sub. (1), the state superintendent may promulgate rules authorizing the department to charge a fee to any person that uses the system. All fees shall be credited to the appropriation account under s. 20.255 (1) (he).