The contributions of WCRIS schools to the state’s education infrastructure will be touted to influential readers this month, as lawmakers and policy experts see ads in a prominent resource for political insiders. Madison’s nonpartisan news service WisPolitics, which focuses on state policy making and is read by everyone in the Capitol and surrounding quarters, published a [...]
Read More
Current Events
A library of WCRIS weekly E-letters that keeps you updated on issues of concern to private schools
Reading Aloud Aids Learning Loss
October 20, 2022
Reading aloud can help students recover from the academic fallout of the COVID pandemic, according to 2019 WCRIS Leadership Conference keynote speaker Meghan Cox Gurdon’s recent article in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Current studies reveal that reading aloud to students helps them make up months of reading progress in a short amount of time, from preschool [...]
Read More
Highlights from Capitol Hill
October 20, 2022
Check out what the Council for American Private Education (CAPE) has been doing, according to their recent edition of Outlook: Tax-Exempt Status Questioned In Maryland and California courts this August, it was decided that private schools with a tax-exempt status must comply with Title IX regulations. The decision hinged on the argument that tax-exempt status financially benefits [...]
Read More
School Choice Numbers Increase
October 20, 2022
Enrollment has grown by 3,295 students in the four parental choice programs, according to recent numbers released by the DPI. The Third Friday in September enrollment count totals 52,189 students in the choice programs in 373 schools. The upward trend comes at no surprise since choice participation was already increasing and was only catalyzed by the [...]
Read More
Lunch & Learn Webinars
October 20, 2022
November’s Lunch & Learn webinar, “Getting Ready for the Choice Program,” has been rescheduled to Wednesday, November 2. It was previously slated for November 16. We apologize for the inconvenience. Those who had registered before the date was rescheduled received an email with updated information. October’s School Safety webinar is at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October [...]
Read More
Principal Question: IDEA Referrals
October 20, 2022
Question: I have a student who we think may benefit from special education services beyond what our school can provide, as much as we’d wish to keep the student enrolled. How do I get the student an evaluation by the school district? Answer: Private school staff do not have rights under the federal Individuals with [...]
Read More
Where Does Your Water Come From?
October 13, 2022
Concern is growing about the dangers of contaminated water. As a result, federal and state agencies are considering updates to long-standing requirements for water quality management. Some of these potential updates could greatly affect schools that use a private well. Read more here. To help WCRIS advocate for you, please fill out this short survey about your school’s [...]
Read More
Principal Question: Child Find in the IDEA; Flier for Parents
October 13, 2022
Question: I want my school district to provide special education services to some of my students. Where do I start? Answer: Eligible private school students with disabilities can have some services provided to them by the public school district under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The IDEA was created to ensure that students with disabilities receive [...]
Read More
First Amendment Writing and Cartoon Contest
October 13, 2022
Engage your history or civics class by having them enter the Wisconsin Newspaper Association’s Civics Games Editorial Writing & Cartoon Contest. Participants are asked to submit their own original essay or cartoon (or one of each) that illustrates the importance of the First Amendment. The contest is open to all Wisconsin middle and high schoolers. The deadline [...]
Read More
Combatting Overdoses at School
October 13, 2022
Overdose deaths related to drugs laced with other substances, in particular fentanyl, have significantly increased, according to a public health advisory warning from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS). DHS data reveals that fentanyl contributed to 91 percent of the opioid overdose deaths in Wisconsin and 73 percent of overdose deaths overall last year. Because of rising [...]
Read More