AB 77

This bill allows a private school participating in the Milwaukee Parental Choice

Program, Racine Parental Choice Program, or the Wisconsin Parental Choice

Program (parental choice program) to allow parents and guardians of pupils

participating in a parental choice program to opt to use an automatic application

process to attend the private school under the parental choice program in subsequent

school years. If a parent or guardian opts to use an automatic application process

offered by a private school, the parent or guardian is considered to have annually

submitted an application to the private school for the pupil to attend the private

school under the parental choice program, as required by law, until 1) the parent or

guardian submits a notice to the private school to stop the automatic application

process or 2) the pupil is enrolled in the highest grade offered by the private school.

If the pupil is participating in the WPCP, an application submitted through an

automatic application process is considered to be accepted by the private school

during the WPCP application period.

Under current law, a private school participating in the WPCP is allowed to

accept applications for the following school year between the first weekday in

February and the third Thursday in April from pupils. Current law requires private

schools participating in the WPCP to report the number of pupils who apply during

this application period to the Department of Public Instruction for DPI to determine

whether accepted applications exceed school district pupil participation limits, and

if necessary, implement the school district participation limits.