An advocacy group for private choice schools is suing Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction for ” illegal treatment of private schools in Wisconsin’s choice program. ”
TODAY’S TMJ4 reports the conservative legal firm Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) argues the state’s DPI denied private schools a chance to use online, virtual learning as part of class instruction.
Because of the brutal winter weather that prompted numerous class cancellations across the state this year, private schools argue that DPI will not allow them to count online learning hours towards requirements, which they say DPI allows currently for public schools.
DPI shared the following statement with TODAY’S TMJ4 :
” When it comes to crediting hours of virtual instruction provided to make up time lost due to weather, the DPI only has legal authority to credit these hours for public schools. This authority comes from Wisconsin Administrative Code section PI 8.01(2)(f), which is explicitly limited to public schools. There is no law or rule giving us the same authority for Choice schools, so absent a change in law, the DPI may only credit virtual instruction for public schools. ”
WILL said it’s an issue that affects 40,000 students in 250 private schools.