Monthly publication addressing recent legal developments in school law.
The regular open enrollment application period for the 2023-2024 school year begins on February 6, 2023. To prepare, school boards must meet this month (January 2023) to designate regular and special education spaces for the 2023-2024 school year and make any desired changes to the board’s open enrollment policies.
The Wisconsin Court of Appeals, in Gierl v. Mequon-Thiensville School District, decided lists of email addresses maintained by the District were public records that must be disclosed under the Public Records Law. School districts should be aware of this court ruling, considering it may impact their responses to future requests for records.
Most school districts are aware that school boards have a great deal of authority to take actions to promote the cause of education and to manage the property and affairs of the school district. The Wisconsin Court of Appeals recently reaffirmed that broad authority in Klosterman v. School District of Omro, 2022 WI AP 54. The court held that a school board’s authority was broad enough to include banning a former employee from school district property indefinitely.