State of Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction
Elizabeth Burmaster, State Superintendent
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 7841, Madison, WI 53707-7841 • Street Address: 125 South Webster Street, Madison, WI 53702
Telephone: (608) 266-3390 • Toll Free: (800) 441-4563 • FAX: (608) 267-1052 • TDD: (608) 267-2427 • Internet Address: dpi.wi.gov
DATE: December 6, 2007
TO: District Administrators
FROM: Carolyn Stanford Taylor, Assistant State Superintendent
Division for Learning Support: Equity and Advocacy
SUBJECT: Photocopying Birth Certificates for School Admission
It has been brought to our attention that many school districts in Wisconsin have the practice of
photocopying birth certificates as part of their admission process for new students. Wisconsin law
strictly prohibits copying vital records. The applicable state statute is attached. This prohibition applies
to everyone, including school staff, the subject of the birth record, and his or her parents.
In addition, a school staff person may not:
• ask a parent or anyone else to make a copy,
• accept an unauthorized copy of a birth certificate from another person, or
• make a copy of the birth certificate for a school file.
Photocopied records do not contain the security features that are present on a certified copy, i.e., the
raised seal and the features that show if an alteration has been made. Copying makes alterations difficult
or impossible to detect. Tests run by the State Vital Records Office demonstrate a person can make
undetectable changes on a photocopied birth certificate in less than 30 minutes, using standard computer
and copier equipment available to the average person. Clearly, these illegal copies do nothing to deter
falsification of documents.
Making a photocopy of a true certified copy of a birth certificate for the school file also poses a liability
risk to staff and school districts. This situation is also true for schools that legally accept true certified
copies of birth certificates and put the legal copies in their files. These documents are prime targets for
identity theft because they contain essential information about the person, including mother’s maiden
name. For persons who are adopted or who have paternity established through the courts, the
information contained on their birth certificates may be sealed by a court of law.
There are at least two legal and practical alternative methods that some schools are using to collect the
pertinent information and store it in their school records.
• Use an existing school district form to annotate that a school staff person viewed a true certified
copy of a birth certificate and checked the information against the information collected or
copied on the form.