On Monday, June 22, 2020, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction published Education Forward, a guidance document for Wisconsin district and school leaders to use as they plan for a safe, efficient, and equitable return to school for the 2020-21 school year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It is recommended officials begin review of Education Forward with Infection Control/Mitigation, which is located in the Health and Safety section. Infection Control and Mitigation includes several resources related to ensuring the health and safety of students and staff including:
- A School Health Services Infection Control and Mitigation Toolkit
- A Reopening School Buildings Risk Assessment Tool
- Interim COVID-19 Transportation Guidance
- Interim COVID-19 Cafeterias and Food Service Guidance
- A COVID-19 Infection Control Checklist for K-12 Schools
While Education Forward is aimed at supporting schools through reopening, this will be a fluid document. It will be regularly updated in consultation with education stakeholders and the DHS to provide new information and address changing conditions to support school operations and the learning environment.
Guidance for Operating Schools During a Pandemic
Resources for Families and Schools
Featured Video
State Superintendent
Carolyn Stanford Taylor
thanks parents,
teachers, and students
for their hard
work and dedication
during the pandemic.
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Department of Health Services (DHS) Orders
On April 16th, 2020, Secretary-designee Andrea Palm issued Emergency Order #28, which extends Safer at Home and makes some changes to the initial order. The changes from Emergency Order #28 will go into effect on April 24. Safer at Home order will remain in effect until 8 a.m. on Tuesday, May 26, 2020. Governor Tony Evers’ office also provided a question and answer document accompanying the order. See the Safer at Home extension FAQ.
While the Safer at Home Order continues to keep buildings closed, it does not close school operations. The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) encourages schools to continue what they have been doing to provide continuity of learning and school meals. Please see the statement from State Superintendent Carolyn Stanford Taylor below:
“The closure of school buildings does not mean the end of services to children. The Department of Public Instruction remains committed to supporting schools and districts as they continue to care for their students, advance continuity of learning, provide meals for students, plan for the remainder of the year, and begin to plan for summer school opportunities and next fall due to COVID-19.”
On March 24, 2020, Secretary-designee Andrea Palm issued Emergency Order #12, Safer At Home Order. This order became effective at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 25, 2020. The order requires all individuals present within the State of Wisconsin to stay at home or at their place of residence, with exceptions.
Schools play an important role during this public health emergency. Under the order, schools may continue to be used for food distribution. Also, schools may be used for essential government functions such as functions necessary to implement distance learning. A school district may determine its own essential government function and identify the employees and contractors necessary to perform those functions. In addition, schools may continue to perform Minimum Basic Operations, including human resources functions such as processing payroll and employee benefits and preserving the physical condition of the school and its equipment. Under the order, public and private K-12 schools remain closed for pupil instruction and extracurricular activities, except for facilitating distance learning or virtual learning. See Emergency Order #12 Safer at Home Order
On March 17, 2020, Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm, at the direction of Governor Tony Evers, issued an order prohibiting mass gatherings of 10 people or more to slow the spread of COVID-19. The order makes exceptions for transportation, educational institutions, child care, hotels, military, law enforcement, food pantries, hospitals, long-term care facilities, restaurants and bars can only offer take-out or delivery, grocery stores and convenience stores, utility facilities, job centers, and courts. Additionally, schools will be closed for the duration of the public health emergency, or until a subsequent order lifts this specific restriction. See the full order and a list of exemptions.
On March 13, 2020, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ Secretary-Designee Andrea Palm, under the
direction of Governor Tony Evers, issued an order closing schools effective Wednesday, March 18, 2020, with an anticipated reopening on April 6, 2020. Additionally, Secretary-Designee Palm’s press release goes on to clarify the order goes into effect at 5:00 p.m. on March 18.
View State Superintendent Carolyn Stanford Taylor’s statement.
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District Administrator Emails from Mike Thompson
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has detailed information about the Coronavirus, including a page with information specific to schools and communities. At this time, much of the information available is about prevention, including distancing measures and good hygiene practices.
Here is the latest information from the CDC for preventing COVID-19 spread in communities.
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Department of Health Services (DHS)
The DHS maintains two websites devoted to COVID-19. DHS’s COVID-19 webpage contains Guidance for School Districts, Travel and Large Community Events and Mass Gatherings.
The DHS
Outbreaks in Wisconsin webpage provides key messages and current data that school districts may use in communicating with students, staff and parents.
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What is COVID-19?
SARS-CoV2 is a new strain of coronavirus that had not previously caused disease in humans but has now become capable of infecting people. The disease it causes is called Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). It was discovered in China in December 2019 and spread internationally. Public health officials are actively investigating this virus to learn more about its impact. People who get sick with COVID-19 develop mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms including fever, cough, difficulty breathing, muscle aches, or chills, headache, new loss of taste or smell, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Illness can begin 2 to 14 days after an exposure.
COVID-19 is mostly spread by respiratory droplets released when people talk, cough, or sneeze. It is thought that the virus may spread to hands from a contaminated surface and then to the nose or mouth, causing infection. Therefore, personal prevention practices (such as handwashing, staying home when sick) and environmental cleaning and disinfection are important principles to follow and are included in several of DPI’s guidance documents. Fortunately, there are a number of actions schools can take to help lower the risk of COVID-19 exposure and spread.
COVID-19 Questions – Contact DPI
Instructional Areas
Click tabs below to locate the most current information on COVID-19 and its impact on specific instructional areas.
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Statewide Assessments
The Office of Student Assessment has created a webpage to provide you with current updates on statewide assessments.
Other Assessments
Advanced Placement (AP) Assessments - Updates about AP testing and virtual learning/remote instruction can be found at http://dpi.wi.gov/ap
Language Assessments - The DPI is looking into language assessments for the two most common assessments (AAPPL and STAMP) from LTI and AVANT to fulfill the language requirement for the Seal of Biliteracy. For more information, contact Pam Delfosse at pamela.delfosse@dpi.wi.gov.
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Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
The CARES Act, signed into law on March 27, 2020, provides economic stimulus to individuals, businesses, hospitals, and Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) in response to the economic distress caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. For more information, go to the CARES Act webpage.
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Wisconsin’s early learning community consists of a variety of individuals, agencies and cross sector systems. For resources and information related to COVID-19 that are specific to the early care and education community, go to DPI Office of Early Learning webpage.
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Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
For information related to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, including waivers for federal accountability, waivers for regarding funding requirements, and providing ESEA equitable services to private school students during the pandemic, please visit the ESEA and COVID-19 webpage.
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The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) understands that guidance can change quickly as the public health emergency due to COVID-19 evolves. To keep you informed, the Teaching and Learning Team will update the Bilingual and English Learner Education webpage.
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The Wisconsin School and Community Nutrition Teams have created a Child Nutrition Program COVID-19 Information Website to help School Food Authorities and Summer Food Service Program sponsors navigate the options for serving children meals in a non-congregate setting in the event of a school closure due to COVID-19.
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The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has provided an overview of state graduation requirements and a brief summary of local authority around this issue, including grading and class promotion. In addition, the department provides strategies to deal with the current situation of school closures related to a public health emergency. For more information, go to the Graduation Requirements webpage.
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Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant Program
For information and resources related to the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Center grant program (21st CCLC) and the public health emergency visit the 21st CCLC team webpage. Included on this page is the 21st CCLC FAQ for commonly asked questions and answers related to the impact of COVID-19 on program operations.
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Private School Choice Programs & Special Needs Scholarship Program
The Department is posting any changes to the requirements for schools participating in the Private School Choice Programs as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak to the Choice Program School Information webpage. The Private School Choice Programs include the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP), the Racine Parental Choice Program (RPCP) and the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program or statewide program (WPCP).
The Department is posting any changes to the requirements for schools participating in the Special Needs Scholarship Program as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak to the Special Needs Scholarship Program School Information webpage.
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Public and School Libraries
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Student Services/Prevention & Wellness (Pupil Services)
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State Waivers: As responses to COVID-19 vary from district to district during the 2020-21 school year, there may be some cases where school districts require more flexibility than state rules or regulations permit. To address this need, State Superintendent Carolyn Stanford Taylor is providing school districts with a streamlined option to explore locally-driven solutions that will improve outcomes for Wisconsin students. Visit the
Waivers and Alternative Compliance webpage for more information
Federal Waivers: The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has been granted a number of waivers from the U.S. Department of Education to assist school districts in managing the situation created by the COVID-19 public health emergency. DPI has created a Federal Waivers – Information for LEAs document to help understand these waivers.
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Virtual/Online/Blended Learning, Digital Citizenship, Instructional Technology, Digital Learning
Please access information about digital learning topics at the following links to help coordinate district and classroom programming:
