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Waukesha board adopts policy rewrites tied to state law, clarifies coach prayers
Summary
The Waukesha School District board approved revisions to dozens of policies to align language with Wisconsin statutes and adopted a new religious activities policy clarifying that coaches may engage in voluntary prayer when acting outside employment duties; all votes passed unanimously, 9-0.
The Waukesha School District Board of Education on Sept. 11 approved a package of policy revisions intended to align district policies with Wisconsin statutory language and adopted a standalone policy on religious activities and observances.
The board voted unanimously, 9–0, to approve three groups of statutory-alignment edits and a separate religious-activities policy after committee review and consultation with district legal counsel. Board members and administrators said the changes respond to a federal-court finding that some 2021 Department of Education guidance used by many districts has no legal effect in several states and had introduced inconsistent parenthetical language into district policies.
Dr. Seibert, the district superintendent, told the board that legal counsel and the district’s Neola consultant recommended common, statute-sourced language so policies would be internally consistent and grounded in Wisconsin law. For example, the edits in Group 1 were sourced to Wis. Stat. § 118.13 and Group 2 employee policies to Wis. Stat. § 111.321.
On the religious-activities policy, the board accepted a targeted clarification drawn from recent U.S. Supreme Court guidance. Dr. Seibert read the added sentence that the policy now includes: “Nothing in this policy shall prohibit a coach from engaging in prayer or similar personal religious observances before or after athletic events while acting outside the scope of the coach’s employment duties and provided such observances are not required or expected of students.” He emphasized the district’s intent that any observance be voluntary and not compelled.
Not all board members were without concern. Committee chair David Wadd and board member Diane Voigt each urged careful review; Voigt said the removal of some previously included wording might be perceived by some families as narrowing protections. Voigt told the board she worried the revisions could be viewed as reducing explicit protection for students in particular categories. Wadd and other members responded that the committee’s approach prioritized statutory sourcing to avoid undefined or inconsistent language across policies.
Votes at a glance: all recorded by roll call 9–0 - Policy 8.800 Religious Activities and Observances: approved 9–0. - Group 1 (18 policies sourced to Wis. Stat. § 118.13): approved 9–0. - Group 2 (10 employee policies sourced to Wis. Stat. § 111.321): approved 9–0. - Group 3 (two policies revised for consistency): approved 9–0.
What happens next: Board members said policies pulled from the consent agenda for further explanation will be reviewed in the Policy Committee to allow additional public context and committee-level discussion before final placement on future consent or action calendars.
