Welcome Back, Scholars: What Families Should Know for the New School Year

September 1st is almost here, and across Wisconsin, backpacks are being purchased, school supplies are being checked off the list, and our children are getting ready to walk back through the schoolhouse doors. Whether your student is starting kindergarten or their senior year, this is a season full of promise. As a community, we owe it to our young people to make sure they walk into this school year set up for success — and this year, there are a few new things every Wisconsin family should have on their radar.

A New Rule in the Classroom: Cell Phones

One of the biggest changes families will notice this fall is Wisconsin's new statewide policy on cell phones in schools. Under 2025 Wisconsin Act 42, signed by Governor Tony Evers last October, every public school district in the state was required to adopt a policy by July 1 that restricts students from using personal cell phones and other wireless devices — including tablets and gaming devices — during instructional time. School-issued devices are exempt, and districts have some flexibility in how strict to make their policies, so it's worth checking with your child's school to understand exactly how it will be enforced.

The push behind this law isn't hard to understand if you look at the numbers. National research has found that upwards of 97% of students use their phones at some point during the school day, with typical use running anywhere from around 40 minutes to well over an hour of class time lost to scrolling, texting, and notifications. Surveys of middle and high school teachers have found that roughly seven in ten consider phones a major distraction to learning. Lawmakers and educators on both sides of the aisle have pointed to studies showing that when phones are put away, attendance and academic performance tend to improve. Wisconsin joins more than three dozen other states that have passed similar restrictions in recent years.

For parents, this is a good moment to have a conversation at home about expectations — not just what the school rule says, but why it matters. Helping your child understand that this isn't about punishment, but about protecting their ability to focus and learn, will go a long way toward easing the transition.

Supporting Reading and Math at Home

A new school year is also a good time to think about extra academic support, especially in reading and math — the foundational skills everything else builds on. Milwaukee families have a resource many don't realize is already available to them, completely free: the Milwaukee Public Library's online tutoring program, Brainfuse HelpNow.

Through HelpNow, students from elementary school through college can connect live with real tutors for one-on-one help in math, reading, writing, science, and social studies, with live tutoring generally available in the afternoon and evening hours — right when homework time hits. The service also includes a writing lab for feedback on essays, practice tools for state and college entrance exams, and even live tutoring in Spanish. This program replaced the Teacher in the Library program; as it is more accessible to students and serves students in multiple grades, not just elementary school.

Here's the part every MPS family should know: every Milwaukee Public Schools student, from first grade through twelfth, already has access to the full library system — including HelpNow tutoring — through the LibraryNow program. Your child doesn't need a physical library card or a parent's signature to get started. All they need is their MPS student ID number, sometimes referred to as their "S number," to log in and start using these resources from home, from school, or from any library branch. If your student hasn't used this before, it's worth sitting down together this week and getting them logged in — before the first round of homework hits.

A Few Tips for Parents Heading Into the Year

• Set a homework and reading routine early. Waiting until the first quiz to establish a routine makes it harder to correct course.
• Log into LibraryNow together. Bookmark the HelpNow tutoring page and make it part of the after-school routine, not a last resort before a test.
• Talk with your student about the phone policy before the first day, so it doesn't come as a surprise or a source of conflict at school.
• Stay in touch with teachers early, rather than waiting for a report card to raise concerns.

For High Schoolers: Don't Sleep on Dual Enrollment

For our high school students — especially juniors and seniors — this is also the year to start thinking seriously about what comes after graduation. Milwaukee Public Schools students have real, no-cost opportunities to earn college credit while still in high school through partnerships like M-Cubed College Connections and Start College Now with Milwaukee Area Technical College and UW-Milwaukee. Through these programs, students can take college-level courses — sometimes tuition-free, with books, fees, and even transportation covered — and graduate high school already carrying college credit toward a degree or technical certificate. Families should reach out to their school counselor early in the year to find out what they qualify for; application windows for some of these programs open as early as junior year.

Here's to a Great Year Ahead

Whether your child is mastering the alphabet or applying to college, this school year holds real opportunity. Put the phones away, log into the library, lean on the tutoring and dual enrollment resources already available to you, and stay connected to your child's teachers. Milwaukee, let's send our scholars off right. Here's wishing every student, teacher, and family a safe, successful, and inspired 2026-27 school year.