Wis. Stat. § 115.7915 — WI Code / Chapter 115 / Section 115.7915
Section 115.7915
Status: in_force

(k) Annually, on or before September 15, file with the department a report stating its summer daily attendance for each day of summer school for the purpose of sub. (4p) .

(7) Transportation. Section 121.54 applies to the transportation of a child to and from the private school he or she is attending under a scholarship awarded under this section.

(8) Penalties.

(a) The department may bar a private school from participating in the program under this section if the department determines that the private school has done any of the following:

1. Intentionally or negligently misrepresented information required under this section or any rule promulgated under sub. (10) .

2. Routinely failed to comply with the standards under sub. (6) (e) or (f) .

3. Used a child’s scholarship for any purpose other than educational purposes or rebated, refunded, or shared a child’s scholarship with a child or a child’s parent or guardian.

4. Failed to refund to the state, within 60 days, any scholarship overpayments.

(b) If the department bars a private school from participating in the program under this section, it shall notify all children eligible to participate in the program and their parents as quickly as possible. A child who is receiving a scholarship and attending a private school barred from the program may continue to receive the scholarship if the child attends another participating private school.

(c) The state superintendent may withhold payment under sub. (4m) or (4p) from a private school participating in the program under this section if the private school violates this section.

(8m) Public health exception. During the public health emergency declared on March 12, 2020, by executive order 72, if a private school participating in the program under this section is closed for at least 10 school days in a school year by a local health officer, as defined in s. 250.01 (5) , or the department of health services, in the school year during which the school is closed and the following school year, the department may not withhold payment from the private school under sub. (8) (c) or bar the private school from participating in the program under sub. (8) (a) for failing to comply with a requirement under this section or a rule promulgated under this section if all of the following occur:

(a) The private school submits information to the department that explains how the school closure impacted the private school’s ability to comply with the requirement and any action the private school took to mitigate the consequences of not complying with the requirement.

(b) The department determines that the private school’s failure to comply with the requirement was caused by the closure.

(9) Study.

(a) The legislative audit bureau shall study the program under this section. The study shall evaluate all of the following:

1. The level of satisfaction with the program expressed by participating children and their parents.

2. The percentage of participating children who were victimized because of their special needs at their resident school district and the percentage of such children at their participating school.

3. The percentage of participating children who exhibited behavioral problems at their resident school district and the percentage of such children at their participating school.

4. The average class size at participating children’s resident school districts and at their participating schools.

5. The fiscal impact of the program on the state and on resident school districts.

(b) Require the researchers who conduct the study to do all of the following:

1. Apply appropriate analytical and behavioral science methodologies to ensure public confidence in the study.

2. Protect the identity of participating schools and children.

(c) Require that the results of the study be reported to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature under s. 13.172 (3) by January 9, 2019.

(10) Rules. The department shall promulgate rules to implement and administer this section, including rules relating to all of the following:

(a) The eligibility and participation of eligible schools, including timelines that maximize child and school participation.

(b) The calculation and distribution of scholarships.

(c) The application and approval procedures for children and eligible schools.

History: 2015 a. 55 , 289 , 297 ; 2017 a. 36 , 59 ; 2017 a. 364 s. 48 ; 2019 a. 55 , 185 ; 2023 a. 11 .