SB 673 — Relating to: school board policies on appropriate communication with pupils. (FE)

- 2026 LEGISLATURE LRBs0282/1LRB-5409/1 FFK:wljFFK:skw SENATE SUBSTITUTEBILL AMENDMENT673 1,November TO20, SENATE2025 BILL- 673Introduced Januaryby 20,Senators 2026Q -UINN Offered, MARKLEIN and N ASS, cosponsored by SenatUINN.Representatives NEDWESKI , BEHNKE , BRILL, CALLAHAN , D ITTRIC, D ONOVAN , D UCHOW , FRANKLIN , G USTAFSON, B.

AJ NACOBSON A, CTK toITCHENS, createKREIBICH, 118.07M (7)ELOTIK, ofMOSES the, statutes;M URPHY, M URSAU, NOVAK , O'CONNOR , TEFFEN and TUSLER .

Referred to Committee on Education.

A N A CT to amend 119.04 (1);

to create 120.12 (30) of the statutes;

requiringschool publicboard and private schools to adopt policies and provide annual trainings on appropriate communication betweenwith school employees and pupils.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau This bill requires each school board to adopt, by July 1, 2026, a policy on appropriate communications between employees or volunteers of the school district and pupils enrolled in the school district, pupils attending school that are not under the control of the school board, and pupils who are homeschooled.

A school board must include in the policy consequences for employees or volunteers who violate the the policy.

The bill requires that the policy apply to communications that occur during or outside of school hours.

Finally, under the bill, the policy must include standards for appropriate content and methods of communication.

For further information see the local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

SSECTION ECTION 1.

118.07119.04 (7)(1) of the statutesstatutes, as affected by 2025 Wisconsin Act 42, is createdamended to read:

118.07- (7)2026 (a)Legislature By- September2 1,- 2026,LRB-5409/1 eachFFK:skw schoolSENATE board,BILL governing673 bodySECTION of1 a119.04 private(1) school,Subchapters andIV, governingV boardand VII of ach. charter school established under s.

118.40115, (2r)ch. or (2x) shall adopt a policy on appropriate communication between an employee or volunteer, when acting in the individual’s official capacity, and pupils enrolled in the applicable school district, private school, or charter school;

pupils121 attendingand ass. school that is not under the control of the applicable school board, governing body, - 2026 Legislature - 2 - LRBs0282/1 FFK:wlj SECTION 1 or governing board;

66.0235 (3) (c), 66.0603 (1m) to (3), 115.01 (1) and pupils(2), attending115.28, 115.31, 115.33, 115.34, 115.343, 115.345, 115.363, 115.364, 115.365 (3), 115.366, 115.367, 115.38 (2), 115.415, 115.445, 118.001 to 118.04, 118.045, 118.06, 118.07, 118.075, 118.076, 118.10, 118.12, 118.124, 118.125 to 118.14, 118.145 (4), 118.15, 118.153, 118.16, 118.162, 118.163, 118.164, 118.18, 118.19, 118.196, 118.20, 118.223, 118.225, 118.24 (1), (2) (c) to (f), (6), (8), and (10), 118.245, 118.25, 118.255, 118.291, 118.292, 118.293, 118.2935, 118.30 to 118.43, 118.46, 118.50, 118.51, 118.52, 118.53, 118.55, 118.56, 118.58, 120.12 (2m), (4m), (5), (15) to (27), and (29), and (30), 120.125, 120.13 (1), (2) (b) to (g), (3), (14), (17) to (19), (26), (34), (35), (37), (37m), and (38), 120.137, 120.14, 120.20, 120.21 (3), and 120.25 are applicable to a home-based1st privateclass educationalcity school district and board but not, unless explicitly provided in this chapter or in the terms of a contract, to the commissioner or to any school transferred to an opportunity schools and partnership program.

TheS schoolECTION board,2. governing body of the private school, or governing board of the charter school established under s.

118.40120.12 (2r)(30) or (2x) shall include in the policy a range of consequences, the moststatutes serious of which is termination,created forto employeesread: and volunteers who violate the policy.

The120.12 school(30) board,C governingOMMUNICATIONS bodyBETWEEN ofSCHOOL theDISTRICT privateEMPLOYEES school,AND orPUPILS. governing board of the charter school established under s.

118.40By (2r)July or1, (2x)2026, shalladopt specifya thatpolicy theon policyappropriate appliescommunication tobetween communicationsa thatschool occurdistrict duringemployee or outsidevolunteer ofwhen schoolacting hoursin the individual’s official capacity and shalla includepupil enrolled in the policyschool standardsdistrict, forattending alla school that is not under the control of the following:school board, or attending a home-based private educational program.

1.The school board shall include in the policy specific consequences for employees and volunteers who violate the policy.

AppropriateThe content.school board shall specify that the policy under this subsection applies to communications that - 2026 Legislature - 3 - LRB-5409/1 FFK:skw SENATE BILL 673 S ECTION 2 occur during or outside of school hours and shall include in the policy under this subsection standards for all of the following:

2.(a) Appropriate content.

(b) Appropriate methods of communication.

(b)END Annually,) beginning in the 2026-27 school year, each school board, governing body of a private school, and governing board of a charter school established under s.

118.40 (2r) or (2x) shall provide to its employees training in identifying, preventing, and reporting grooming and professional boundary violations.

The department shall develop and make available to public and private schools, at no cost, a training in identifying, preventing, and reporting grooming and professional boundary violations.

A school board, governing body of a private school, or governing board of a charter school established under s.

118.40 (2r) or (2x) may provide to its employees the training developed by the department under this paragraph or a different training that the school board, governing body of a private school, or governing board of a charter school determines is sufficient to ensure compliance with its policy under par.

(a).

(END )