What Is Wisconsin Act 89 and How Does It Affect School-Based Team Communications
Clear boundaries in student communication are no longer just a best practice for Wisconsin schools. Under 2025 Wisconsin Act 89, public and private schools must adopt policies and provide annual training on appropriate communication between school employees and pupils.
For school-based robotics teams, STEM clubs, athletic programs, music groups, and other student activities, the law raises a practical question: what counts as appropriate communication, especially when adults support students outside the normal classroom setting?
This post is informational only and is not legal advice.
Teams should follow their district, school, organization, and FIRST youth protection requirements.
What Wisconsin Act 89 requires
Wisconsin Act 89 creates section `118.07 (7)` of the Wisconsin Statutes. The law relates to requiring public and private schools to adopt policies and provide annual trainings on appropriate communication between school employees and pupils.
At a high level, that means schools must do two connected things:
Create or adopt a policy that defines appropriate communication between employees and students
Provide annual training so school employees know and understand the policy
The focus is communication. That can include in-person conversations, email, text messages, learning platforms, team apps, phone calls, and other channels a school allows.
The Act does not replace every existing rule a school already has. Many schools already have staff conduct policies, technology use rules, student safety procedures, and reporting requirements. Act 89 adds a clear statewide requirement that schools address employee-to-student communication through policy and yearly training.
As of August 25, the Act 89 Training Module is available through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website. Schools can use that resource as they prepare staff and align local expectations.
The main idea is simple: student communication should be professional, transparent, appropriate to the school purpose, and understood by the adults responsible for it.
Why the law matters for mentors and student teams
The law speaks directly to communication between school employees and pupils. In practice, student activities often include more than school employees. Coaches, mentors, alumni volunteers, community partners, parents, and sponsors may all support students.
That is where teams need to pay close attention.
A school-based FIRST team, for example, may include teachers, school staff, community mentors, and volunteers. Not every adult in that setting is automatically covered in the same way as a school employee under the statute. Even so, schools may set local rules for all adults who interact with students through a school program.
For mentors, the safest approach is to assume that school communication expectations apply during team activities. That includes:
Keeping communication tied to the program or activity
Using approved channels when possible
Avoiding private, secret, or overly personal exchanges
Including parents, guardians, staff members, or team channels when appropriate
Following school rules even when a separate youth organization also has its own standards
This matters because robotics and similar programs often operate after school, on weekends, during travel, and in informal build-season settings. Those environments can blur lines if expectations are not written down and repeated.
FIRST Wisconsin Guidelines & Shared Team Resources
FIRST Wisconsin created Mentor and Student Communication Guidelines as a recommended
statewide framework for school-based and community-based teams.
The purpose of the document is practical. It gives FIRST Wisconsin teams a clear baseline for communication that is:
Professional
Transparent
Student-centered
Consistent across different team settings
These guidelines are meant to supplement the FIRST Youth Protection Program expectations. The guidelines DO NOT replace school policies, district rules, or legal duties. Instead, they help teams prepare for local policies adopted under Wisconsin Act 89 and give mentors a shared starting point.
Beyond creation of the FIRST Wisconsin Mentor and Student Communication Guidelines, two FIRST Robotics Competition Mentors put together a training on how use of the communication platform Basecamp Complies with Act89.
Watch their presentation and discussion on the topic here:
What appropriate mentor communication should look like
Appropriate communication is not only about avoiding misconduct. It is also about building a team culture where students, families, and adults know what to expect.
A strong communication policy usually answers a few basic questions.
Which channels are approved?
Teams should identify the tools adults and students may use. That might include school email, a learning management system, a team messaging platform, or parent-included group messages.
Personal texting or direct messaging should be limited or avoided unless the school or organization permits it under clear rules.
Who should be included?
One-on-one communication can create risk, even when the message is harmless. Teams can reduce that risk by using group channels, copying another adult, or including a parent or guardian when needed.
This is especially helpful for schedule changes, travel details, performance concerns, and student support issues.
What topics are appropriate?
Mentor communication should connect to the program. Examples include build tasks, meeting times, competition logistics, safety reminders, awards, outreach, and team responsibilities.
Adults should avoid communication that becomes overly personal, secretive, emotionally dependent, or unrelated to the student activity.
When communication should happen?
Late-night messages can create unnecessary concerns. Teams should set normal communication hours, with exceptions for travel, competition logistics, or urgent safety needs.
A simple rule helps: if the message would feel uncomfortable if a parent, guardian, teacher, or coach read it, do not send it.
Steps teams can take now
Schools will need to handle Act 89 through local policy and annual training. Teams do not need to wait for confusion to appear before improving their communication practices.
A practical starting plan can look like this:
Review the school policy: School-based teams should ask which communication policy applies to employees, volunteers, coaches, and mentors.
Complete required training: School employees should follow the annual training process set by their school. The DPI Act 89 Training Module is available as a resource as of August 25.
Compare youth protection rules: FIRST teams should review FIRST Youth Protection Program expectations alongside school rules and the FIRST Wisconsin mentor communication framework.
Choose approved communication channels: Teams should name the tools they use and explain when each one is appropriate.
Put expectations in writing: A short mentor communication guide can help new mentors, returning volunteers, students, and families understand the same rules.
Revisit the policy each season: Build seasons change. Travel plans, new students, and new adults can create new communication needs.
The goal is not to make mentor relationships cold or distant. Good mentors encourage students, answer questions, teach skills, and help teams grow. Clear rules protect that work by making communication visible, consistent, and focused on the student’s role in the program.
The takeaway for schools and teams
Wisconsin Act 89 sets a statewide expectation that schools address appropriate communication between employees and students through policy and annual training. For mentor-led activities, the message is clear: communication should be professional, transparent, and tied to the student activity.
FIRST Wisconsin’s Mentor and Student Communication Guidelines give teams a useful baseline, especially when paired with the FIRST Youth Protection Program and local school policy.
The best next step is simple. Review the rules that apply to your team, name the communication channels adults may use, and make sure every mentor understands the standard before the season gets busy.
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