Wisconsin Education NewsApril 16, 2026A daily update of education news and events that are taking place around Wisconsin. Kenosha begins rollout of metal detectors in its public high schools KENOSHA, Wis. — Metal detectors are being rolled out in the Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD), marking a significant step in school safety. Bradford High School became the first of the district’s six high schools to implement walk-through scanners and handheld wands. On Wednesday morning, students were greeted by staff at the entrance doors, which is standard procedure. But waiting in line to get through security is something new. Board approves B-W grad as new teacher Emma Schommer was officially hired by the Baldwin-Woodville School Board as a high school special education teacher for the 2026-27 school year during their monthly meeting last week. Schommer is a B-W graduate who recently graduated from the University of Minnesota-Duluth. She has also been working as a paraprofessional in the high school this semester. New Richmond Parents for Strong Schools sues school district over bathroom policy A New Richmond parent and student group filed a lawsuit in federal court against the New Richmond School District that alleges Title IX violations due to the district’s policy allowing students to use bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity. The plaintiff, New Richmond Parents for Strong Schools, is asserting three claims against the school district: Civil Rights Act violations of the right to privacy and sex discrimination and Title IX violations of the Education Amendments. The group is seeking “to protect the right of girls to privacy, dignity and equal access to school facilities,” according to the complaint. The school district maintains that it is following the law. Its legal counsel, Michael Waldspurger, said that under case law in the Seventh Circuit, Title IX — which prohibits discrimination based on sex — has been interpreted by courts to include gender identity. Tax pressure, confusion cited as Fond du Lac school referendum fails FOND DU LAC – The voters spoke, and a school district referendum is more than many can afford when it comes to taxes. The Fond du Lac School District referendum failed by 203 votes in the April 7 election. It would have allowed the district to exceed the revenue limit by $7.5 million per year for four years for security upgrades, as well as staff compensation, educational programming, and expenses for operations and maintenance. Pair of cabins unveiled at Coon Fork Campground EAU CLAIRE COUNTY (WQOW) - Summer is fast-approaching in the Chippewa Valley and now there's a new way to enjoy the outdoors in Eau Claire County. New this year at the Coon Fork Campground near Augusta are two new camper cabins that are set to open to the public. The ARPA-funded project was years in the making, and when it came to constructing the cabins, Eau Claire County Parks and Forest turned to an unlikely source — the School District of Neillsville. High school students helped construct the cabins before they were transported to Coon Fork for the final touches from county staff. Janesville's homelessness issue also touching school district JANESVILLE — For years, Carrie Kulinski had a couch outside her office at Wilson Elementary School in Janesville. At one point, Kulinski had a student who was sleep deprived because she was homeless and was overcome with the stress of it. Staff let her sleep on the couch and then would wake her up to go to class. The couch is gone but the memory remains, as that is just one of the stories that Kulinski has in her 13 years as the homeless liaison in the Janesville School District. So far in the 2025-26 school year, there have been 445 students reported as homeless in the district. DPI’s official count pegs the district at 9,088 total. Act 222 expands graduation rights for Indigenous students across Wisconsin WAUSAU, Wis. (WAOW) - A new state law is giving Native American students more than just the right to wear traditional regalia at graduation — it’s giving them the opportunity to proudly represent their identity and culture on a bigger stage. Tribal and school leaders share what this moment means across Wisconsin. Writing a focus of recent DeForest School District report Improving student writing has been an area of focus for DeForest School District educators in the past year. A monitoring report on “Self-Directed, Complex Thinkers” that was recently presented to the school board touted growth in eighth grade writing, but concerns were expressed over ACT writing scores for 11th graders. Writing is not a required portion of the ACT test. However, the district is working to get students ready for that part. Hustisford residents react to District's failed referendum HUSTISFORD — Emotions continue to run high more than a week after voters rejected a $3.75 million operational referendum on April 7. This leaves the Hustisford School District with no option but to dissolve. The district, which serves about 240 K-12 students, faces a $1.6 million deficit. The referendum would have helped the district stay afloat or consolidate for the next two years. Without the funding, summer school is canceled and the schools will be empty by the 2026-27 school year, according to Interim Hustisford Superintendent Todd Bugnacki. Free breakfast and lunch pending state approval at Racine schools after district budget restrictions RACINE, WI — Racine Unified School District officials are projecting all RUSD students will have free breakfast and lunch for the next four school years, pending state approval. Last year, Racine Unified School District (RUSD) officials projected they won’t financially be able to provide free breakfast and lunch to every student for the 2026-27 school year because of the recently passed federal bill. Severe hail damages Westby homes, vehicles and school, causing late start WESTBY, Wis. (WKBT) — A severe hailstorm battered Westby Tuesday, leaving a trail of destruction that forced the local high school to delay classes and left residents scrambling to assess damage to their homes and vehicles. The Westby Area High School bore significant damage from the storm, with six shattered skylights and four broken windows forcing administrators to implement a late start for students. Students explore options in the ag industry The Wittenberg-Birnamwood FFA paired with the Shawano County Farm Bureau to host an event that featured 21 businesses directly connected to the agriculture industry. A total of 290 students from Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School and surrounding school districts attended the April 9 event. Disbursing information on the variety of business and work opportunities within the ag industry was the main focus of the event. Matt Christian, WBHS ag teacher, said agriculture is a popular course of study in the school district and WBHS has 240 FFA members. Middleton students receive award from governor for finance class MIDDLETON, Wis. -- Two Middleton High School students were honored at the State Capitol by Gov. Tony Evers last week for their work in teaching finance classes to middle schoolers, the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District announced.
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