The new bill authored by State Rep. Barbara Dittrich seeks to enhance public access to school textbooks and curricula by requiring timely inspection procedures, according to the Wisconsin State Assembly.
According to the Wisconsin State Legislature’s official website, the bill was described as follows: “requiring school boards to make textbooks, curricula, and instructional materials available for inspection by school district residents”.
The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.
In essence, this bill requires school boards to provide school district residents access to inspect textbooks, curricula, and instructional materials upon written request, within 14 days of receiving the request. It mandates that school boards develop procedures to make these materials available in fewer than 14 days, and this applies to the materials used in schools under their management. The bill defines “curriculum” as a school board-approved plan as per state law, and “instructional material” as any content or resource included within such a curriculum. The school board must also post adopted textbook lists on its website. The bill includes provisions to ensure compliance does not infringe on federal copyright laws and reiterates that residents’ rights to access or copy records under open records law are not restricted. This act becomes applicable to materials adopted for use in the school year beginning after its effective date.
The bill was co-authored by Senator Cory Tomczyk (Republican-29th District), Representative Scott Allen (Republican-82nd District), Representative Elijah R. Behnke (Republican-6th District), Representative Lindee Rae Brill (Republican-27th District), Representative Joy L. Goeben (Republican-5th District). It was co-sponsored by Senator Steve L. Nass (Republican-11th District) and Senator Van H. Wanggaard (Republican-21st District), along nine other co-sponsors.
Barbara Dittrich has co-authored or authored another five bills since the beginning of the 2025 session, with none of them being enacted.
Dittrich, a Republican, was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2025 to represent the state’s 99th Assembly district, replacing previous state representative Cindi Duchow.
In Wisconsin, the legislative process starts when a senator, constituent, group, or agency proposes an idea for a bill. After drafting, the bill is introduced, numbered, and referred to a committee for review and public input. If approved, it moves through three readings and votes in both the Senate and Assembly. Once both chambers pass the same version, the bill goes to the governor, who can sign it, veto it, or let it become law without a signature. Only a small share of bills introduced each session ultimately become law. You can learn more about the Wisconsin legislative process here.
| Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|
| AB5 | 02/03/2025 | Requiring school boards to make textbooks, curricula, and instructional materials available for inspection by school district residents |
