WisconsinWisconsin would fund school emergency alerts accessible to deaf students
The proposal would provide Wisconsin school districts with grants to install or upgrade emergency alerts for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, capped at what each district spent.
What it does
School districts would qualify for grants to install or upgrade emergency alerts for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Grants would cover no more than the district spent.
The state would set aside $1 million for these grants in fiscal year 2025–26 and another $1 million in fiscal year 2026–27.
Argument forHelping schools pay for accessible emergency alerts could help deaf and hard-of-hearing students learn when they need to take protective action.
Argument againstLimiting grants to money districts have spent could make participation harder for schools that cannot afford the upfront installation or upgrades.
More detail
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction would have to establish a grant program for accessible school emergency alerts. School districts would qualify by installing emergency alerts that deaf and hard-of-hearing students can access or upgrading existing alerts to make them accessible. No grant would exceed what the district spent to install or upgrade the system.
The state would set aside $1 million in each of two fiscal years for the grants. The money would go to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction for these school grants. The proposed funding covers fiscal years 2025–26 and 2026–27.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Apr 7Fiscal estimate receivedLatest
- Mar 23Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1Major
- Mar 19Read first time and referred to Committee on EducationMinor
- Mar 19Introduced by Senators Keyeski, Larson and Spreitzer; cosponsored by Representatives Bare, Cruz, Brown, Clancy, Goodwin, Hong, Joers, Sheehan, Sinicki, Stubbs, Udell and SubeckIntroduced
EducationDisability RightsPublic Safety