State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers says, despite Wisconsin’s strong outdoors heritage, too many school age kids aren’t spending enough time outdoors. Evers has asked the No Child Left Inside Coalition to develop an Environmental Literacy Plan for for Wisconsin’s pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade schools, paying special attention to creating more opportunities to get children outside.
AUDIO: Bob Hague reports (1:15 MP3)
Evers says that in addition to benefitting kids, there may be some money federal in it for the state. “If the No Child Left Inside legislation passes Congress, states that do have this type of . . . environmental education plan in place would be elegible for additional money.”
Schools would not be mandated to adopt any of the environmental education recommendations. The Department of Public Instruction also is in the process of hiring an environmental education consultant, which was approved through the 2009-11 state budget.