Friday, May 9, 2025
Title II Web Accessibility Rule: Planning Ahead
In March 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice issued the final Title II rule, requiring public entities, including school districts, to ensure their websites and mobile applications are accessible to people with disabilities.
We are now about a year into this process, and many have already started aligning digital content with the new requirements. For those who haven’t, there may be only one to two years left to update websites, documents, videos, and other digital tools. This will likely involve coordination across departments, updates to legacy content, and implementing new systems or practices for ongoing accessibility.
If you haven’t already, we encourage you to review the DOJ’s FAQ for more information. Please use this time to assess your current efforts and determine what support or planning may be needed moving forward.
Reimbursement Claims for Early College Credit Program (ECCP) Tuition
The Early College Credit Program (ECCP) allows Wisconsin public and private high school students to take courses at eligible higher education institutions for high school and/or college credit.
The state reimburses a portion of ECCP tuition costs through a claim submitted by the school board or governing body of the participating public school district (including independent charter schools) or private school. Reimbursement forms must be submitted via the WISEhome portal between May 30 and July 15 for the following semesters:
- Summer 2024
- Fall 2024
- Spring 2025
Eligible institutions include University of Wisconsin System schools, Wisconsin-based private nonprofit colleges and tribally controlled colleges in Wisconsin. Courses at Wisconsin technical colleges are not eligible under the ECCP.
If total reimbursement claims for 2024–25 exceed the state appropriation of $478,500, payments will be prorated. Before submitting, please review the ECCP Reimbursement Instructions slide deck and refer to the ECCP FAQ reimbursement section for guidance. Questions can be directed to DPI Dual Enrollment Consultant Karin Smith at Karin.Smith@dpi.wi.gov.
Please share this information with relevant staff, including business administrators and dual enrollment coordinators.
Wisconsin Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative: Wisconsin Wraparound
The Wisconsin Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative is a collaborative effort led by the Department of Children and Families (DCF), in partnership with the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the Department of Health Services (DHS). This proposed initiative aims to address the complex behavioral health needs of children and youth – especially those at risk of entering the child welfare system – by providing early, community-based support.
Children with complex behavioral health needs may present with disruptive behavior in the classroom, attendance concerns, or family challenges. This initiative would offer high-fidelity wraparound services tailored to each child and family, helping reduce the need for child welfare involvement and improve outcomes.
Implementation would occur through a federal Medicaid waiver, allowing flexibility in service design and creating a “no wrong referral” system. Children could be referred from schools, child welfare, healthcare, or the justice system. Legislative approval is needed for the DHS to request the waiver – either through the state budget or standalone legislation. If approved, the DHS will collaborate with families, providers, and stakeholders to design the waiver request.
More details are available in this PDF. For questions, please contact DPI Policy Initiatives Advisor Andrea Gugel at Andrea.Gugel@dpi.wi.gov.