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January 6, 2026

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

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Legislative Update: 2025 Wisconsin Act 57 Requires Same-Day Parent/Guardian Notification for Sexual Misconduct Reports


Under 2025 Wisconsin Act 57, schools must notify parents/guardians the same day if they receive a credible report of certain sexual misconduct involving a school staff member if there is reasonable cause to suspect it occurred.

Per Act 57, the method of communication is either in person, or by phone (voicemail is permitted). A report is considered received when it reaches a licensed district employee, a private school administrator, or the school’s Title IX coordinator. In addition, school boards must annually inform parents/guardians of their right to access school employee discipline records under the state’s public records law.

The Wisconsin Legislative Council has drafted a memo that goes into more detail on the specifics of the reporting requirements of the law.

Early Literacy Coaching Program: Application Deadline and Office Hours

As part of Wisconsin 2023 Act 20, an early literacy coaching program has been established with the intention of offering targeted support to increase reading proficiency as measured by the Wisconsin Forward Exam.

The DPI is currently accepting applications from schools interested in receiving an early literacy coach. Applications will be accepted through Jan. 29, 2026. Application materials and other resources related to the early literacy coaching program can be found on the DPI’s website.

In addition, the DPI is offering optional, virtual office hours for schools and districts interested in applying. These sessions provide an opportunity to ask questions about the program and the application process. Office hours will be held on the following dates and times (click the date to open the meeting link).

Please consider sharing this information with relevant staff who may be interested in applying or attending these office hours.

State Requirements for Virtual Instruction of Open Enrolled Students

This information applies to school districts offering virtual programming to open enrolled students, including districts planning to open a new virtual charter school or make significant changes to an existing one for the 2026-27 school year.

Key points of the updated DPI information include:

  • Most open enrolled students must attend school in person. Open enrolled students are generally required to physically attend a school located in the nonresident district. An exception is if students are enrolled in a virtual charter school that meets state requirements.
  • A district can offer programming which combines in-person and virtual instruction (hybrid model) to open enrolled students. However, if a district wants to offer a fully-virtual option, the school must either require open enrolled students to physically attend school within the school district during the days and the hours that school is in session, or create a virtual charter school.
  • The DPI is asking districts to formally identify any school that is a new virtual charter school, or has made significant changes. If a school is not identified, it will not appear on the open enrollment application as a virtual charter school and open enrollment payments cannot be made for students assigned to a fully virtual school.
  • The DPI is asking districts to complete and submit the School District Virtual Charter School Identification Form. The form must be signed by the district administrator and the governance board president. The deadline to complete this is Jan. 31, 2026. Schools submitted by this date will appear on the 2026-27 open enrollment application. Existing virtual charter schools do not need to resubmit unless they have made significant changes.

Full details and more information on this topic, including an FAQ, can be found on the DPI’s website.

For questions related to this topic, please contact the DPI at CharterSchools@dpi.wi.gov. For questions related to the open enrollment process, please contact the DPI at DPI.OpenEnrollment@dpi.wi.gov.