Gov. Tony Evers has signed off on a pair of education bills that put “grooming” into Wisconsin’s criminal code and force every school in the state to tighten up how staff communicate with students. That means a brand-new felony on the books and a looming to-do list for school boards, administrators and educators heading into the next school year, as reported by the Governor’s office.
In a Friday press release, Evers’ office said he acted on six bipartisan bills and framed the education measures as part of a broader child-safety push, according to the Governor’s office. Among the measures he signed were Assembly Bill 677 and Senate Bill 673, along with an expansion of the state’s Missing Child Alert program.
What the law does
Assembly Bill 677, now codified as 2025 Wisconsin Act 88, creates a specific grooming crime that targets a course of conduct or pattern of behavior meant to condition, seduce or entice a child. It covers sexualized comments, inappropriate physical contact and targeted communications both online and offline. The act also drops the new offense into multiple cross-references in state law so prosecutors, courts and licensing bodies have clearer grounds to step in.
School communication rules
Senate Bill 673, now 2025 Wisconsin Act 89, tells every public, private and independent charter school board to adopt a policy on appropriate staff-student communications by Sept. 1, 2026. Those policies must spell out what kinds of content and methods of contact are acceptable and lay out consequences that can go all the way up to termination.
The law also orders the Department of Public Instruction to create free training on spotting, preventing and reporting grooming and professional boundary violations. Starting in the 2026-27 school year, school boards will have to provide that training annually.
Lawmakers said the package came in response to investigative reporting that uncovered hundreds of educator misconduct cases. As reported by Wisconsin Watch, a Capital Times investigation found that between 2018 and 2023 the Department of Public Instruction investigated more than 200 educators for alleged sexual misconduct or grooming, a tally that helped trigger legislative hearings and an audit of DPI’s licensing system.
“Keeping our kids safe, especially while they’re in our schools, must be a top priority for us,” Evers said, calling the new laws a critical step to give law enforcement and districts stronger tools to hold bad actors accountable, per the governor’s office. The administration also highlighted related changes in the package, including the expansion of the Missing Child Alert program to cover 10- and 11-year-olds.
Legal implications
Under Act 88, the base grooming offense is a Class G felony. Penalties increase to a Class F felony if the offender is in a position of trust, to Class E if the child has a known disability and to Class D when more than one child is involved, according to the bill text. The act also links grooming into sex-offender registration and other provisions that can affect licenses, parole and professional standing, which could shift how misconduct cases are investigated and charged.
What schools must do next
School boards and other governing bodies will now have to draft and adopt communication policies that apply during and outside school hours, define acceptable ways for staff to contact students and outline a ladder of discipline, per 2025 Wisconsin Act 89. DPI’s free training module is intended to be available statewide, but local officials will decide whether to use the state program or another option that meets the law’s standards.
Parents should expect to see updated policies and training requirements show up in district emails, handbooks and board agendas later this year. For additional coverage and the full bill language, see Wisconsin Examiner and the official PDFs linked above. Officials at DPI and local boards have not yet offered specifics beyond the timelines already written into the new acts.
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