118.125(1)(e)
(e) "Record" means any material on which written, drawn, printed, spoken, visual, or electromagnetic information is recorded or preserved, regardless of physical form or characteristics.
118.125(2)
(2) Confidentiality and disclosure of pupil records. All pupil records maintained by a public school shall be confidential, except as provided in
pars. (a) to
(p) and
sub. (2m). The school board shall adopt policies to maintain the confidentiality of such records and may adopt policies to promote the disclosure of pupil records and information permitted by law for purposes of school safety.
118.125(2)(a)
(a) A pupil, or the parent or guardian of a minor pupil, shall, upon request, be shown and provided with a copy of the pupil's progress records.
118.125(2)(b)
(b) An adult pupil or the parent or guardian of a minor pupil shall, upon request, be shown, in the presence of a person qualified to explain and interpret the records, the pupil's behavioral records. Such pupil or parent or guardian shall, upon request, be provided with a copy of the behavioral records.
118.125(2)(c)1.1. The judge of any court of this state or of the United States shall, upon request, be provided by the school district clerk or his or her designee with a copy of all progress records of a pupil who is the subject of any proceeding in such court.
118.125(2)(cg)
(cg) The school district clerk or his or her designee shall provide a law enforcement agency with a copy of a pupil's attendance record if the law enforcement agency certifies in writing that the pupil is under investigation for truancy or for allegedly committing a criminal or delinquent act and that the law enforcement agency will not further disclose the pupil's attendance record except as permitted under
s. 938.396 (1) (a). A school district clerk or designee who discloses a copy of a pupil's attendance record to a law enforcement agency for purposes of a truancy investigation shall notify the pupil's parent or guardian of that disclosure as soon as practicable after that disclosure.
118.125(2)(ch)
(ch) The school district clerk or his or her designee shall provide a fire investigator under
s. 165.55 (15) with a copy of a pupil's attendance record if the fire investigator certifies in writing that the pupil is under investigation under
s. 165.55, that the pupil's attendance record is necessary for the fire investigator to pursue his or her investigation and that the fire investigator will use and further disclose the pupil's attendance record only for the purpose of pursuing that investigation.
118.125(2)(ck)
(ck) The school district clerk or his or her designee shall make pupil records available for inspection or, upon request, disclose the contents of pupil records to authorized representatives of the department of corrections, the department of health services, the department of justice, or a district attorney for use in the prosecution of any proceeding or any evaluation conducted under
ch. 980, if the pupil records involve or relate to an individual who is the subject of the proceeding or evaluation. The court in which the proceeding under
ch. 980 is pending may issue any protective orders that it determines are appropriate concerning pupil records made available or disclosed under this paragraph. Any representative of the department of corrections, the department of health services, the department of justice, or a district attorney may disclose information obtained under this paragraph for any purpose consistent with any proceeding under
ch. 980.
118.125(2)(cm)
(cm) If school attendance is a condition of a child's dispositional order under
s. 48.355 (2) (b) 7. or
938.355 (2) (b) 7., the school board shall notify the county department that is responsible for supervising the child within 5 days after any violation of the condition by the child.
118.125(2)(d)
(d) Pupil records shall be made available to persons employed by the school district which the pupil attends who are required by the department under
s. 115.28 (7) to hold a license, law enforcement officers who are individually designated by the school board and assigned to the school district, and other school district officials who have been determined by the school board to have legitimate educational interests, including safety interests, in the pupil records. Law enforcement officers' records obtained under
s. 938.396 (1) (c) 3. shall be made available as provided in
s. 118.127. A school board member or an employee of a school district may not be held personally liable for any damages caused by the nondisclosure of any information specified in this paragraph unless the member or employee acted with actual malice in failing to disclose the information. A school district may not be held liable for any damages caused by the nondisclosure of any information specified in this paragraph unless the school district or its agent acted with gross negligence or with reckless, wanton, or intentional misconduct in failing to disclose the information.
118.125(2)(e)
(e) Upon the written permission of an adult pupil, or the parent or guardian of a minor pupil, the school shall make available to the person named in the permission the pupil's progress records or such portions of the pupil's behavioral records as determined by the person authorizing the release. Law enforcement officers' records obtained under
s. 48.396 (1) or
938.396 (1) (b) 2. or
(c) 3. may not be made available under this paragraph unless specifically identified by the adult pupil or by the parent or guardian of a minor pupil in the written permission.
118.125(2)(f)
(f) Pupil records shall be provided to a court in response to subpoena by parties to an action for in camera inspection, to be used only for purposes of impeachment of any witness who has testified in the action. The court may turn said records or parts thereof over to parties in the action or their attorneys if said records would be relevant and material to a witness's credibility or competency.
118.125(2)(g)1.1. The school board may provide any public officer with any information required to be maintained under
chs. 115 to
121.
118.125(2)(g)2.
2. Upon request by the department, the school board shall provide the department with any information contained in a pupil record that relates to an audit or evaluation of a federal or state-supported program or that is required to determine compliance with requirements under
chs. 115 to
121.
118.125(2)(h)
(h) Information from a pupil's immunization records shall be made available to the department of health services to carry out the purposes of
s. 252.04.
118.125(2)(hm)
(hm) Information from any pupil lead screening records shall be made available to state and local health officials to carry out the purposes of
ss. 254.11 to
254.178.
118.125(2)(i)
(i) Upon request, the school district clerk or his or her designee shall provide the names of pupils who have withdrawn from the public school prior to graduation under
s. 118.15 (1) (c) to the technical college district board in which the public school is located or, for verification of eligibility for public assistance under
ch. 49, to the department of health services, the department of children and families, or a county department under
s. 46.215,
46.22, or
46.23.
118.125(2)(j)1.1. Except as provided under
subds. 2. and
3., directory data may be disclosed to any person, if the school has notified the parent, legal guardian or guardian ad litem of the categories of information which it has designated as directory data with respect to each pupil, has informed the parent, legal guardian or guardian ad litem of that pupil that he or she has 14 days to inform the school that all or any part of the directory data may not be released without the prior consent of the parent, legal guardian or guardian ad litem and has allowed 14 days for the parent, legal guardian or guardian ad litem of that pupil to inform the school that all or any part of the directory data may not be released without the prior consent of the parent, legal guardian or guardian ad litem.
118.125(2)(j)2.
2. If a school has notified the parent, legal guardian or guardian ad litem that a pupil's name and address has been designated as directory data, has informed the parent, legal guardian or guardian ad litem of the pupil that he or she has 14 days to inform the school that the pupil's name and address may not be released without the prior consent of the parent, legal guardian or guardian ad litem, has allowed 14 days for the parent, legal guardian or guardian ad litem of the pupil to inform the school that the pupil's name and address may not be released without the prior consent of the parent, legal guardian or guardian ad litem and the parent, legal guardian or guardian ad litem has not so informed the school, the school district clerk or his or her designee, upon request, shall provide a technical college district board with the name and address of each such pupil who is expected to graduate from high school in the current school year.
118.125(2)(j)3.
3. If a school has notified the parent, legal guardian or guardian ad litem of the information that it has designated as directory data with respect to any pupil, has informed the parent, legal guardian or guardian ad litem of the pupil that he or she has 14 days to inform the school that such information may not be released without the prior consent of the parent, legal guardian or guardian ad litem, has allowed 14 days for the parent, legal guardian or guardian ad litem of the pupil to inform the school that such information may not be released without the prior consent of the parent, legal guardian or guardian ad litem and the parent, legal guardian or guardian ad litem has not so informed the school, the school district clerk or his or her designee, upon request, shall provide any representative of a law enforcement agency, district attorney, city attorney or corporation counsel, county department under
s. 46.215,
46.22 or
46.23 or a court of record or municipal court with such information relating to any such pupil enrolled in the school district for the purpose of enforcing that pupil's school attendance, investigating alleged criminal or delinquent activity by the pupil or responding to a health or safety emergency.
118.125(2)(k)
(k) A school board may disclose personally identifiable information from the pupil records of an adult pupil to the parents or guardian of the adult pupil, without the written consent of the adult pupil, if the adult pupil is a dependent of his or her parents or guardian under
26 USC 152, unless the adult pupil has informed the school, in writing, that the information may not be disclosed.
118.125(2)(m)
(m) A parent who has been denied periods of physical placement with a child under
s. 767.41 (4) does not have the rights of a parent or guardian under
pars. (a) to
(j) with respect to that child's pupil records.
118.125(2)(n)
(n) For any purpose concerning the juvenile justice system and the system's ability to effectively serve a pupil, prior to adjudication:
118.125(2)(n)1.
1. A school board may disclose pupil records to a city attorney, corporation counsel, agency, as defined in
s. 938.78 (1), intake worker under
s. 48.067 or
938.067, court of record, municipal court, private school, or another school board if disclosure is pursuant to an interagency agreement and the person to whom the records are disclosed certifies in writing that the records will not be disclosed to any other person except as otherwise authorized by law. For the purpose of providing services to a pupil before adjudication, a school board may disclose pupil records to a tribal school if disclosure is pursuant to an agreement between the school board and the governing body of the tribal school and if the school board determines that enforceable protections are provided by a tribal school policy or tribal law that requires the tribal school official to whom the records are disclosed not to disclose the records to any other person except as permitted under this subsection.
118.125 Note
NOTE: Subd. 1. is shown as affected by 2 acts of the 2009 Wisconsin legislature and as merged by the legislative reference bureau under s. 13.92 (2) (i).
118.125(2)(n)2.
2. A school board shall disclose pertinent pupil records to an investigating law enforcement agency or district attorney if the person to whom the records are disclosed certifies in writing that the records concern the juvenile justice system and the system's ability to effectively serve the pupil, relate to an ongoing investigation or pending delinquency petition, and will not be disclosed to any other person except as otherwise authorized by law.
118.125(2)(p)
(p) A school board may disclose pupil records to appropriate parties in connection with an emergency if knowledge of the information is necessary to protect the health or safety of any individual.
118.125(2m)
(2m) Confidentiality of pupil physical health records. 118.125(2m)(a)(a) Except as provided in
par. (b), any pupil record that relates to a pupil's physical health and that is not a pupil physical health record shall be treated as a patient health care record under
ss. 146.81 to
146.84.
118.125(3)
(3) Maintenance of records. Each school board shall adopt rules in writing specifying the content of pupil records and the time during which pupil records shall be maintained. No behavioral records may be maintained for more than one year after the pupil ceases to be enrolled in the school, unless the pupil specifies in writing that his or her behavioral records may be maintained for a longer period. A pupil's progress records shall be maintained for at least 5 years after the pupil ceases to be enrolled in the school. A school board may maintain the records on microfilm, on an optical disk, or in electronic format if authorized under
s. 19.21 (4) (c), or in such other form as the school board deems appropriate. A school board shall maintain law enforcement officers' records obtained under
s. 48.396 (1) or
938.396 (1) (b) 2. or
(c) 3. separately from a pupil's other pupil records. Rules adopted under this subsection shall be published by the school board as a class 1 notice under
ch. 985.
118.125(4)
(4) Transfer of records. Within 5 working days, a school district and a private school participating in the program under
s. 119.23 shall transfer to another school, including a private or tribal school, or school district all pupil records relating to a specific pupil if the transferring school district or private school has received written notice from the pupil if he or she is an adult or his or her parent or guardian if the pupil is a minor that the pupil intends to enroll in the other school or school district or written notice from the other school or school district that the pupil has enrolled or from a court that the pupil has been placed in a juvenile correctional facility, as defined in
s. 938.02 (10p), or a secured residential care center for children and youth, as defined in
s. 938.02 (15g). In this subsection, "school" and "school district" include any juvenile correctional facility, secured residential care center for children and youth, adult correctional institution, mental health institute, or center for the developmentally disabled that provides an educational program for its residents instead of or in addition to that which is provided by public, private, and tribal schools.
118.125 Note
NOTE: Sub. (4) is shown as affected by 2 acts of the 2009 Wisconsin legislature and as merged by the legislative reference bureau under s. 13.92 (2) (i).
118.125(5)(a)(a) Except as provided in
par. (b), nothing in this section prohibits a school district from using a pupil's records in connection with the suspension or expulsion of the pupil or the use of such records by a multidisciplinary team under
ch. 115.
118.125(5)(b)
(b) Law enforcement officers' records obtained under
s. 48.396 (1) or
938.396 (1) (b) 2. or
(c) 3. and records of the court assigned to exercise jurisdiction under
chs. 48 and
938 or of a municipal court obtained under
s. 938.396 (2g) (m) may not be used by a school district as the sole basis for expelling or suspending a pupil or as the sole basis for taking any other disciplinary action, including action under the school district's athletic code, against a pupil.
118.125(6)
(6) Application to existing records. Any records existing on June 9, 1974 need not be revised for the purpose of deleting information from pupil records to comply with this section.
118.125(7)
(7) Disclosure of law enforcement unit records. A school board shall treat law enforcement unit records of juveniles in the same manner as a law enforcement agency is required to treat law enforcement officers' records of juveniles under
s. 938.396 (1) (a).
118.125 History
History: 1973 c. 254;
1977 c. 418;
1979 c. 205;
1981 c. 20,
273;
1983 a. 189;
1985 a. 218;
1987 a. 27,
70,
206,
285,
337,
355;
1987 a. 399 s.
491r;
1987 a. 403 ss.
123,
124,
256;
1989 a. 31,
168;
1989 a. 201 s.
36;
1989 a. 336;
1991 a. 39,
189;
1993 a. 27,
172,
334,
377,
385,
399,
450,
491;
1995 a. 27 ss.
3939,
3940,
9126 (19),
9130 (4),
9145 (1);
1995 a. 77,
173,
225,
352;
1997 a. 3,
27,
205,
237,
239;
1999 a. 9,
149;
2003 a. 82,
292;
2005 a. 344,
434;
2005 a. 443 s.
265;
2007 a. 20 ss.
2712,
9121 (6) (a);
2009 a. 11,
28,
209,
302,
309; s. 13.92 (2) (i).
118.125 Annotation
A public school student's interim grades are pupil records specifically exempted from disclosure under s. 118.125. A failure to specifically state reasons for denying an open records request for records that are specifically exempted from disclosure does not compel disclosure of those records. State ex rel. Blum v. Board of Education,
209 Wis. 2d 377,
565 N.W.2d 140 (Ct. App. 1997),
96-0758.
118.125 Annotation
Pupil information that local education agencies are required to release to the department of public instruction under the reporting provisions of ch. 89, laws of 1973, may be provided, with or without permission, without violation of the state or federal confidentiality statutes. 65 Atty. Gen. 1.
118.125 Annotation
"Pupil records" are "public records" under 19.32 (2) but are subject to special statutes that limit access and direct maximum and minimum periods of maintenance before destruction.
72 Atty. Gen. 169.
118.125 Annotation
Access to student records in Wisconsin. 1976 WLR 975.
118.126
118.126
Privileged communications. 118.126(1)
(1) A school psychologist, counselor, social worker and nurse, and any teacher or administrator designated by the school board who engages in alcohol or drug abuse program activities, shall keep confidential information received from a pupil that the pupil or another pupil is using or is experiencing problems resulting from the use of alcohol or other drugs unless:
118.126(1)(a)
(a) The pupil using or experiencing problems resulting from the use of alcohol or other drugs consents in writing to disclosure of the information;
118.126(1)(b)
(b) The school psychologist, counselor, social worker, nurse, teacher or administrator has reason to believe that there is serious and imminent danger to the health, safety or life of any person and that disclosure of the information to another person will alleviate the serious and imminent danger. No more information than is required to alleviate the serious and imminent danger may be disclosed; or
118.126(2)
(2) A school psychologist, counselor, social worker or nurse, or any teacher or administrator designated by the school board who engages in alcohol or drug abuse program activities, who in good faith discloses or fails to disclose information under
sub. (1) is immune from civil liability for such acts or omissions. This subsection does not apply to information required to be reported under
s. 48.981.
118.127
118.127
Law enforcement agency information. A school district, private school, or tribal school may disclose information from law enforcement officers' records obtained under
s. 938.396 (1) (c) 3. only to persons employed by the school district who are required by the department under
s. 115.28 (7) to hold a license, to persons employed by the private school or tribal school as teachers, and to other school district, private school, or tribal school officials who have been determined by the school board or governing body of the private school or tribal school to have legitimate educational interests, including safety interests, in that information. In addition, if that information relates to a pupil of the school district, private school, or tribal school, the school district, private school, or tribal school may also disclose that information to those employees of the school district, private school, or tribal school who have been designated by the school board or governing body of the private school or tribal school to receive that information for the purpose of providing treatment programs for pupils enrolled in the school district, private school, or tribal school. A school district may not use law enforcement officers' records obtained under
s. 938.396 (1) (c) 3. as the sole basis for expelling or suspending a pupil or as the sole basis for taking any other disciplinary action, including action under the school district's athletic code, against a pupil.
118.13
118.13
Pupil discrimination prohibited. 118.13(1)
(1) Except as provided in
s. 120.13 (37m), no person may be denied admission to any public school or be denied participation in, be denied the benefits of or be discriminated against in any curricular, extracurricular, pupil services, recreational or other program or activity because of the person's sex, race, religion, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability.
118.13(2)(a)(a) Each school board shall develop written policies and procedures to implement this section and submit them to the state superintendent as a part of its 1986 annual report under
s. 120.18. The policies and procedures shall provide for receiving and investigating complaints by residents of the school district regarding possible violations of this section, for making determinations as to whether this section has been violated and for ensuring compliance with this section.
118.13(2)(b)
(b) Any person who receives a negative determination under
par. (a) may appeal the determination to the state superintendent.
118.13(3)(a)1.
1. Decide appeals made to him or her under
sub. (2) (b). Decisions of the state superintendent under this subdivision are subject to judicial review under
ch. 227.
118.13(3)(a)2.
2. Promulgate rules necessary to implement and administer this section.
118.13(3)(a)3.
3. Include in the department's biennial report under
s. 15.04 (1) (d) information on the status of school district compliance with this section and school district progress toward providing reasonable equality of educational opportunity for all pupils in this state.
118.13(3)(b)1.
1. Periodically review school district programs, activities and services to determine whether the school boards are complying with this section.
118.13(3)(b)2.
2. Assist school boards to comply with this section by providing information and technical assistance upon request.
118.13(4)
(4) Any public school official, employee or teacher who intentionally engages in conduct which discriminates against a person or causes a person to be denied rights, benefits or privileges, in violation of
sub. (1), may be required to forfeit not more than $1,000.
118.13 Cross-reference
Cross-reference: See also ch.
PI 9, Wis. adm. code.
118.13 Annotation
When a school board pursued purposefully segregative practices with current, systemwide impact, systemwide remedy was appropriate. Columbus Board of Education v. Penick,
443 U.S. 449 (1979).
118.13 Annotation
For a school system that was a dual system when Brown I was decided in 1954, the measure of the school board's post-Brown I conduct under its unsatisfied duty to liquidate the dual system was the effectiveness, not the purpose, of its actions to desegregate the system. Dayton Board of Education v. Brinkman,
443 U.S. 526 (1979).
118.13 Annotation
It is impermissible for a school district to rely upon an individual student's race in assigning that student to a particular school so that the racial balance at the school falls within a predetermined range based on the racial composition of the school district as a whole. Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1,
551 U.S. 701,
127 S. Ct. 2738,
168 L. Ed. 2d 508 (2007)
118.134
118.134
Race-based nicknames, logos, mascots, and team names. 118.134(1)(1) Notwithstanding
s. 118.13 and except as provided in
sub. (3m), a school district resident may object to the use of a race-based nickname, logo, mascot, or team name by the school board of that school district by filing a complaint with the state superintendent. If the complainant objects to the use of a nickname or team name by the school board, the state superintendent shall immediately review the complaint and determine whether the use of the nickname or team name by the school board, alone or in connection with a logo or mascot, is ambiguous as to whether it is race-based. The state superintendent shall do all of the following:
118.134(1)(a)
(a) Notify the school board of the receipt of the complaint and of the state superintendent's determination regarding whether the use of the nickname or team name is ambiguous as to whether it is race-based and direct the school board to submit, if applicable, any of the information under
sub. (1m) (a).
118.134(1)(b)
(b) Except as provided in
sub. (1m), schedule a contested case hearing within 45 days after the complaint is filed.
118.134(1m)(a)(a) The state superintendent may determine that no contested case hearing is necessary or that a hearing date may be postponed for the purpose of obtaining additional information from the school board if, no later than 10 days after being notified of the receipt of the complaint, the school board submits evidence to the state superintendent that demonstrates all of the following:
118.134(1m)(a)1.
1. The nickname, logo, mascot, or team name that is used by the school board and that is the basis of the complaint is a reference to or depiction or portrayal of or the name of a specific, federally recognized, American Indian tribe.
118.134(1m)(a)2.
2. The federally recognized American Indian tribe under
subd. 1. has granted approval to the school board to refer to or depict or portray the tribe in a nickname, logo, or mascot or to use the name of the tribe as a team name in the specific manner used by the school board and has not rescinded that approval.
118.134(1m)(a)3.
3. The use of the nickname, logo, mascot, or team name that has been approved by the tribe as provided in
subd. 2. is the use to which the school district resident objects in the complaint filed under
sub. (1).
118.134(1m)(b)
(b) If the state superintendent does any of the following, the state superintendent shall notify the school district resident who filed the complaint under
sub. (1) and the school board of his or her decision in writing:
118.134(1m)(b)1.
1. Determines that a contested case hearing is not necessary. A decision under this subdivision is subject to judicial review under
ch. 227.
