Latest Highlight
School Employee Safety Incident Reporting
School employees should be able to work in an environment that is safe, orderly, and conducive to learning. Yet incidents in which teachers and other school employees are injured by students are often tracked inconsistently, making it difficult for school leaders to understand the scope of the probl
WILL
Parental Notification of Disruptive or Violent Incidents
Parents deserve to know when repeated classroom disruptions or serious behavioral incidents interfere with their child's education or affect school safety. While schools routinely notify parents when their own child is disciplined, families often receive no notice when instructional time is repeated
Teacher Authority and Classroom Management
School districts that wish to recruit and retain high-quality teachers must ensure that classroom environments are safe, orderly, and conductive to learning. Teacher retention data and educator surveys consistently identify student behavior, classroom safety, and lack of administrative support as le
School Boards
K-12 Athletics; Separating K-12 Athletics by Biological Sex
School districts should adopt a policy requiring K–12 athletic participation to be based on biological sex to ensure fair competition, protect student safety, and comply with legal standards. In June of 2026, the United States Supreme Court ruled that states and schools may separate sports teams by
WILL
School Boards
Employee and Volunteer Communication with Students
In March 2026, 2025 Wisconsin Act 89 was signed into law, requiring all public, private, and charter schools to adopt a policy governing communications between employees or volunteers and students.
WILL
School Boards
Parent Notification of Sexual Misconduct Reports
2025 Wisconsin Act 57 creates a new parental reporting requirement for schools relating to incidents where students are the victims of certain sexual misconduct by a school staff member or volunteer.
WILL
School Boards
Wireless Communication Devices (Cellphones) in the Classroom (Wisconsin)
2025 Wisconsin Act 42 requires all public school districts to adopt a policy by July 1, 2026, prohibiting the use of a wireless communication device during instructional time.
WILL
School Boards
Student Privacy in Restrooms and Locker Rooms
The School District is committed to providing a safe, respectful, and lawful educational environment for all students. This policy is intended to protect student privacy, comply with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and its implementing regulations, and provide clear guidance regarding t
WILL
School Boards
Numeracy
Strong math skills are directly tied to lifelong opportunity. Students with a strong foundation in numeracy are more likely to graduate, earn higher wages and succeed in the workforce. Yet across the nation, too many students fall behind in math during the early grades and never catch up.
WILL
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Policy Activity
U.S. Department of Education Rules on Title IX
November 12, 2024 – A comprehensive look at title ix
WILL and its partners released a crucial resource guide. Titled “Protecting Title IX: A Resource Guide for School Boards,” this guide aims to empower school boards with the legal insights needed to understand and respond to the complex Title IX requirements of the federal government.
October 22, 2024 – What Private, Religious Schools Should Know about the New Title IX Rule
Private school boards should be cautious and informed, and they should be aware that there are litigation risks on both sides of this issue. This resource aims to clarify recent questions about the impact of this rule on private schools.
July 11, 2024 – What School Boards Need to Know about the Status of the New Title IX Rule
The changes to Title IX by the U.S. Department of Education under the Biden Administration expand the definition of sex discrimination to include gender identity.
This resource aims to empower school board members to make their own decision despite pressure to immediately implement the new Title IX rule.
APRIL 13, 2023 – U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PROPOSED RULES
WILL’s Comment to the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PROPOSED RULES
WILL submitted a public comment on the U.S. Department of Education proposed changes to the regulations on Title IX.
Title IX and Gender Identity FAQ Memo
This memo is intended as a resource for public use by school board members and public school administrators navigating issues related to gender identity and Title IX. It is based on the law in Wisconsin and the Seventh Circuit and is current as of January 25, 2023.
ADDITIONAL SCHOOL BOARD RESOURCES
Below are some additional publicly available school board resources from WILL and other organizations. Please contact us with suggestions for new sources, or if any of these links no longer work.
Race and the Law in K-12 Schools
Public schools have a clear legal obligation not to treat students on the basis of race. This resource outlines the key legal rules school leaders should understand when evaluating policies, programs, and practices.
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Communications Strategy for School Districts
This tool helps school officials build effective communications strategies to engage their communities by sharing positive stories, earning media coverage, and maintaining an active social media presence.
Read The Explainer
Read The Explainer
Know Your Rights: School Board Members & the First Amendment
This resource was created to ensure school board members are aware of and know their constitutional rights when assuming public office. School board members are elected representatives of the public. They are not employees of the administration and do not lose their First Amendment rights upon taking office. While board members must comply with applicable law, such as student confidentiality requirements, they retain the right to speak as citizens on matters of public concern in their individual capacity.
Read The Explainer
Read The Explainer
Mahmoud Explained
The Court emphasized that parental rights do not end at the schoolhouse gate. The ruling establishes a nationwide requirement: when public schools include instructional materials on controversial topics such as gender identity, they must accommodate families with sincere religious objections by offering and respecting an opt-out right to parents.
Read The Explainer
Read The Explainer
Implementing Act 20: A Companion Guide to the WILL Model Policy on Student Promotion and Retention
This guide is designed to accompany the WILL Model Policy: Determination of Promotion or Retention of Students with Personal Reading Plans. It provides clear, actionable steps for implementing Act 20—from the school board to the classroom. This resource explains the assessments, timelines, and intervention strategies needed to support student success in early literacy.
Read The Analysis
Read The Analysis
Literacy on Hold: What School Districts Should Know About The Legal Status of Wisconsin Act 20
WILL released a new document explaining the history, controversy, and status of three related Wisconsin laws addressing literacy that were passed in 2023 and 2024. The purpose of this document is for Wisconsin schools to better understand what is currently expected of them and what may change with these laws in the future.
Read The Analysis
Read The Analysis
School Crime Reporting Guide: Legal Obligations & Best Practices for Compliance
This guide provides school leaders and administrators with a clear, practical overview of how to comply with Act 12. It highlights statutory requirements, explains common ambiguities, outlines best practices, and includes tools like a model crime reporting policy and an open records request template to help schools meet their obligations under the law. While not a substitute for legal advice, this document is intended to equip schools with the information and resources necessary to implement Act 12 effectively and with confidence.
Read The Explainer
Read The Explainer
Clear Guidance Memo and Checklist on the Biden Student Discipline Guidance
We’ve released a new memo in partnership with the State Policy Network that analyzes the US Department of Education and Department of Justice guidance document titled “Resource on Confronting Racial Discrimination in Student Discipline.”
Read The Report
WILL has also created a new resource titled, “Identifying Non-Discriminatory Factors in Discipline Outcomes,” to aid schools in examining root causes of racial disparities.
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Read The Report
WILL has also created a new resource titled, “Identifying Non-Discriminatory Factors in Discipline Outcomes,” to aid schools in examining root causes of racial disparities.
Learn More
Schools and the Law: First Amendment US Supreme Court Decisions That School Board Members Should Know
Public school board members should be familiar with landmark Supreme Court decisions that could shape how they resolve conflicts and set school district policies. WILL Education Attorney teams up with the American Enterprise Institute to provide new resources and information for school boards.
Read The Report
Read The Report
Firearms in Schools: Answering and Discussing Frequently Asked Questions
Firearms have strict regulations that vary depending on the location. It is important to understand how to exercise your Second Amendment rights, without violating the various laws that protect our schools. WILL provides this resource to answer your frequently asked questions and eliminate any confusion about firearm regulations in school zones.
Read The Report
Read The Report
Human Growth and Development Compliance Guidance
WILL unveiled new guidance for school districts to comply with state law regarding Human Growth and Development curriculum. School boards should adopt policies that ensure parent participation, and this guide helps achieve that.
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What School Boards Need to Know About Title IX
WILL’s Lead Education Attorney, Cory Brewer authored “What School Boards Need to Know About Title IX” in partnership with AEI to help school boards navigate new Title IX rules coming from the Biden Administration.
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AEI | Empower School Board Members with Policy Solutions
WILL Director of Education Policy, Libby Sobic, is the author of Empower School Board Members With Policy Solutions, a new publication from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Sobic highlights a number of the model school board policies WILL released in June 2022, part of the Restoring American Education initiative.
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Arizona Coalition of School Board Members
An Arizona-based membership organization for school board members and interested community members offering alternative resources that promotes student success and parental rights.
Read More View Policy Book
Read More View Policy Book
Ballotpedia candidate surveys
Use this form to submit information, for Ballotpedia’s readers to learn more about your candidacy.
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Civics Alliance
Engage to win
Melanie Sturm, founder of Engage to Win, offers remote and in-person trainings for candidates, elected officials, policy advocates, students, and movement leaders. Melanie teaches how to inspire an audience – even skeptics – to follow your lead, not based on what you say, but on what your audience hears you say. She also specializes in crafting customized, issue-focused persuasive messaging.
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Family policy foundation school board academy
Colorado-based organization that advances biblical citizenship, equips and elects statesmen, promotes policy and serves an effective alliance: all committed to a common vision.
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Goldwater Institute
Learn more about their effort for academic transparency, including a district-level model policy.
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Grateful Nation Project
The Grateful Nation Project gathers, preserves, and shares the stories of TRUE heroes—from the American Revolution to the present day. By sharing these stories in the form of “Hero Cards” and online biographies, we connect students to the real people who gave “the last full measure of devotion” for our freedom.
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Independence Institute
Learn more about their effort for academic transparency, including a district-level model policy.
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National School Boards Leadership Council (NSBLC)
Noah Webster Educational Foundation
School Boards for Academic Excellence
School board member finance training
Delivered by Edunomics Lab at Georgetown, four virtual sessions, 2-hours each, from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM CT starting September 16, 2022:
Today’s financial choices are complicated. Districts are flush with cash, inflation is eroding wages, enrollment is down and under-enrolled schools are costly. And yet, districts must stay focused on getting students back on track. To helping make sense of it all, Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University is offering a finance workshop just for school board members.Scholarships are available so apply early for those.
School board leaders who go through our training sessions learn to engage more on financial matters and to communicate in ways that build trust on spending decisions affecting students. We think practical, strategic financial skills will be particularly useful in the coming months, so please share this with school board members who would benefit from the opportunity. Send any questions to Jordan.Tollefson@georgetown.com.
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Today’s financial choices are complicated. Districts are flush with cash, inflation is eroding wages, enrollment is down and under-enrolled schools are costly. And yet, districts must stay focused on getting students back on track. To helping make sense of it all, Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University is offering a finance workshop just for school board members.Scholarships are available so apply early for those.
School board leaders who go through our training sessions learn to engage more on financial matters and to communicate in ways that build trust on spending decisions affecting students. We think practical, strategic financial skills will be particularly useful in the coming months, so please share this with school board members who would benefit from the opportunity. Send any questions to Jordan.Tollefson@georgetown.com.
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