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Board hears update on state bills affecting schools, including personal-device policy requirement
Summary
A board member briefed the Stoughton Area School District on several state bills, including one on personally owned wireless devices in classrooms that had passed the Senate and was pending the governor's decision.
Board member Lisa provided a legislative update summarizing activity in the Wisconsin Legislature affecting schools. She reported one bill that would require school boards to adopt policies generally prohibiting pupils from using wireless communication devices during instructional time, with specified exceptions (for health reasons, individualized-education-program accommodations, and other educator-approved academic uses).
"That bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in the Senate 28 to 4," Lisa said of the measure on personal devices and said it was now on the governor's desk. She noted the district already has a related policy and staff would assess alignment if the governor signs the bill.
Lisa also summarized other recent legislative activity and committee hearings the board had discussed previously: an assembly bill on public inspection of certain instructional materials, hearings on required human-growth and development curriculum elements (AB 405), and draft legislation intended to expand access to dual enrollment for high-school students. She mentioned that some committee votes on food-ingredient restrictions and child-abuse prevention instruction had proceeded along partisan lines.
Board members asked a few clarifying questions; no board action followed the update. The update was informational and staff said they would monitor bill movement and report back as needed.
