Wisconsin Code § 895.523

Recreational activities in a school building or on school grounds; limitation of liability
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(1) DEFINITIONS. In this section:
(a) “Governing body of a charter school” means the person
that operates a charter school established under s. 118.40 (2) or
(2m) or the entity that operates a charter school established under
s. 118.40 (2r) or (2x).
(b) “Injury” means an injury to a person or to property.
(c) 1. Except as provided in subd. 2., “recreational activity”
means all of the following:
a. Any indoor physical activity, sport, team sport, or game,
whether organized or unorganized, undertaken for the purpose of
exercise, relaxation, diversion, education, or pleasure.
b. Any outdoor activity undertaken for the purpose of exercise, relaxation, or pleasure, including practice or instruction in
any such activity. In this subd. 1. b., “outdoor activity” includes
hunting, fishing, trapping, camping, picnicking, exploring caves,
nature study, bicycling, horseback riding, bird-watching, motorcycling, operating an all-terrain vehicle, ballooning, hang gliding,
hiking, tobogganing, sledding, sleigh riding, snowmobiling, skiing, skating, water sports, sight-seeing, rock-climbing, cutting or
removing wood, climbing observation towers, animal training,
harvesting the products of nature, sport shooting, and any other
outdoor sport, game, or educational activity.
2. “Recreational activity” does not include any indoor or outdoor organized team sport or activity organized and held by a
school district, school board, or governing body of a charter
school.
(d) “Recreational agreement” means a written authorization
granted by a school board or the governing body of a charter
school to a person that permits public access to all or a specified
part of the school grounds for the purpose of any recreational activity and that satisfies the requirements under sub. (5).
(e) “School board” means the school board or board of school
directors in charge of the public schools of a school district.
(f) “School building” means a building designed for and used
as a school by a school district, by a school board, or by the governing body of a charter school.
(g) “School grounds” means real property, and any school
buildings, accessory buildings, structures, and improvements
thereon, owned, leased, or rented by a school district, by a school
board, or by the governing body of a charter school and used primarily for public school purposes.
(gm) “Spectator” means a person who attends or watches a
recreational activity but does not engage or participate in or intend to engage or participate in the recreational activity.
(h) “Sport” means an activity requiring physical exertion and
skill and which, by its nature and organization, is competitive and
includes a set of rules for play.
(2) NO DUTY; IMMUNITY FROM LIABILITY. (a) Except as provided in sub. (3), no school district, no school board, no governing body of a charter school, and no officer, employee, or agent of
a school board or of a governing body of a charter school, owes to
any person who enters the school grounds of the school board or
of the governing body of a charter school to engage or participate
in a recreational activity held pursuant to a recreational agreement any of the following:
1. A duty to keep the school grounds safe for the recreational
activity.
2. A duty to inspect the school grounds.
3. A duty to give warning of an unsafe condition, use, or activity on the school grounds.
(b) Except as provided in sub. (3), no school district, no
school board, no governing body of a charter school, and no officer, employee, or agent of a school board or of a governing body
of a charter school, is liable for the death of, any injury to, or any
death or injury caused by, a person engaging or participating in a
recreational activity held pursuant to a recreational agreement
and taking place on the school grounds of the school board or of
the governing body of a charter school.
(3) LIABILITY. Subsection (2) does not limit the liability of a
school district, a school board, a governing body of a charter
school, or an officer, employee, or agent of the school board or of
the governing body of a charter school for any of the following:
(a) A death or injury caused by a malicious act or by a malicious failure to warn against an unsafe condition of which an officer, employee, or agent of the school board or of the governing
body of a charter school knew, which occurs on the school
grounds of the school board or of the governing body of a charter
school designated for use in a recreational agreement and being
used by a person for a recreational activity held pursuant to the
recreational agreement.
(b) The death of or injury to a spectator that occurs on the
school grounds of the school board or of the governing body of a
charter school designated for use in a recreational agreement during the recreational activity.
(c) The death of or injury to a person participating in a recreational activity involving any of the following pursuant to a recreational agreement:
1. A weight room.
2. A swimming pool.
3. Gymnastic equipment.
(4) NO DUTY OR LIABILITY CREATED. Except as expressly
provided in this section, nothing in this section or s. 101.11 nor
the common law attractive nuisance doctrine creates any duty of
care or ground of liability toward any person who uses school

grounds to engage or participate in a recreational activity held
pursuant to a recreational agreement.
(5) RECREATIONAL AGREEMENT. Each recreational agreement shall include all of the following:
(a) A description of the recreational activity or activities to be
held on the school grounds pursuant to the agreement.
(b) The time and place of the recreational activity or
activities.
(c) Any eligibility requirements for participation in the recreational activity or activities.
(d) Whether and, if so, to what extent participants who are minors will be supervised.
(e) A clear statement describing a participant’s assumption of
risk.

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