Financial Aid Lesson Plan: Understanding Wage Laws Through a Real Case

Hook: Why every student with a campus job should care about a Wisconsin back-wages ruling

Students juggling classes, exams and work often assume campus jobs are small, casual and harmless. But when employers fail to record hours or pay overtime, those seemingly minor violations add up — and students lose real money they need for tuition and living expenses. A December 2025 federal consent judgment ordering a Wisconsin health services employer to pay $162,486 in back wages and liquidated damages to 68 case managers is a timely classroom tool: it shows how wage law works, why accurate timekeeping matters, and how to use legal resources to recover unpaid earnings.

What happened in Wisconsin — the short version (teaching moment)

In a case entered Dec. 4, 2025, following a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division (WHD) investigation, North Central Health Care agreed to pay $81,243 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages to 68 case managers. The department found these employees worked unrecorded hours and were not paid overtime for hours beyond 40 in a week between June 17, 2021 and June 16, 2023. The judgment illustrates two core concepts every student worker should learn:

• Recordkeeping matters: Employers must record all hours worked.
• Overtime pay is protected: Nonexempt employees must receive time-and-a-half for hours over 40 in a workweek under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Why this case matters to student workers and campus employment

Campus roles — tutors, library assistants, research assistants, resident advisors (RAs), food service workers, cashiers — often involve variable schedules, unpaid prep time, split shifts, and occasional overtime. Those conditions create common risks of unpaid wages:

• Working “off the clock” before a shift, after clocking out, or during meal breaks
• Failing to record short overtime across multiple jobs in a single workweek
• Misclassification as exempt salaried staff when duties don’t meet exemption tests
• Confusion where third-party contractors or outsourcing handle payroll

Instructors and counselors can use the Wisconsin case to show that wage issues are not just for corporate jobs — they happen in health care, county services and on campus too.

Core legal concepts to teach (with classroom-friendly language)

1. Nonexempt vs. exempt employees

Nonexempt employees are covered by the FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime rules. Exempt employees, typically salaried and fulfilling specific duties tests (executive, administrative, professional), are not entitled to overtime. Many campus jobs are nonexempt; some graduate assistantships or RAs may be exempt depending on duties and pay structure — but you must check specifics.

2. Overtime calculation

Under the FLSA, employers must pay nonexempt employees time-and-a-half for hours over 40 in a workweek. Example formula teachers can use:

• Regular rate = total weekly earnings ÷ total hours worked
• Overtime pay rate = 1.5 × regular rate
• Overtime owed = overtime hours × overtime pay rate

Use a real classroom exercise: give students a weekly time log with unpaid “off-the-clock” tasks and ask them to calculate back wages.

3. Recordkeeping and off-the-clock work

Employers are required to keep accurate time records. Off-the-clock work — like preparing materials before clocking in or finishing tasks after clocking out — is compensable if the employer knows or should know the work is performed. The Wisconsin ruling centered on unrecorded hours. Teaching students to document time can be a protective habit.

4. Back wages and liquidated damages

Back wages are the unpaid wages owed to an employee for prior work. The Wisconsin case ordered back wages plus equal liquidated damages (a common remedy under the FLSA when violations are found). That doubled the employer’s financial obligation, highlighting the potential consequences for employers and the real money at stake for workers.

2026 trends to include in your lesson — why this is timely

• Renewed DOL enforcement in 2024–2026: The Wage and Hour Division increased investigations into off-the-clock work, misclassification and recordkeeping lapses — especially in healthcare, education and gig-related services.
• Algorithmic management scrutiny: Employers increasingly use scheduling and monitoring algorithms. Regulators and courts are focusing on how these systems affect hours worked and whether they enable unpaid work or misrecording.
• Remote and hybrid campus work: Students doing remote tutoring, grading or research may perform uncompensated work outside scheduled hours, creating new recordkeeping challenges.
• State-level protections: Several states strengthened student-worker protections and reporting tools in late 2025, meaning local rules may offer additional remedies alongside federal law.

Practical, actionable lesson plan outline: teach wage law through the Wisconsin case

Use the following 90-minute lesson (modifiable for a single class or two sessions). Aim: students will learn how wage law applies to campus jobs and how to protect their rights.

Learning objectives

• Explain basic FLSA protections (overtime, recordkeeping)
• Identify common wage violations in campus contexts
• Apply wage calculation methods to find unpaid wages
• Locate legal resources and draft a plan to resolve wage problems

Materials

• Copies of a sanitized fact pattern based on the Wisconsin case
• Sample time logs and pay stubs
• Calculator or spreadsheet templates
• Links to legal resources (DOL WHD, state labor, campus HR and legal aid)

Activity timeline (90 minutes)

1. 10 min: Hook — present the Wisconsin ruling numbers and ask students: who loses when wages go unpaid?
2. 15 min: Mini-lecture — FLSA basics, overtime formula, recordkeeping rules, and statute of limitations (typically 2 years, 3 years for willful violations).
3. 20 min: Group exercise — calculate back wages from a sample time log that includes off-the-clock hours; ask groups to present their math and conclusions.
4. 20 min: Role-play — students practice talking to a supervisor using a script (see scripts below). One student plays HR, another the student worker; a third acts as an advisor (campus legal/union).
5. 15 min: Resource mapping — groups list campus and community resources to escalate the issue and role-play filing a complaint with the DOL WHD or state agency.
6. 10 min: Debrief and takeaways — checklist distribution and next steps for students with campus jobs.

Scripts and templates for student workers (use in role-plays and real interactions)

Initial conversation with supervisor

“Hi [Supervisor], I reviewed my time logs and noticed that on [dates] I worked from [time] to [time] but those tasks weren’t recorded. I want to understand the timekeeping policy and make sure my hours are correct. Can we review my timesheet together?”

Email to campus HR or payroll

Subject: Timesheet clarification and potential unpaid hours Dear [Payroll/HR contact], I am writing to request a review of my timesheets for [period]. I believe I have unrecorded hours on [specific dates]. Attached is a log and supporting notes. Please advise on the process to correct hours and, if applicable, recover unpaid wages. Thank you, [Name, position, student ID]

Evidence checklist — what to preserve

• Personal time logs (dates, start/end times, unpaid tasks)
• Emails, messages assigning tasks or scheduling shifts
• Pay stubs and job descriptions
• Work products with timestamps (e.g., submitted files, LMS posts)
• Witness names (co-workers who saw the work occur)

How to calculate back wages — classroom example

Use this simplified scenario in class:

• Student’s hourly pay: $12/hour
• Recorded hours: 40 per week
• Unrecorded work: 5 hours preparing lab materials after clocking out
• Regular rate = $12
• Overtime hours for that week = 5 → Overtime pay rate = $18/hour
• Overtime owed = 5 × $18 = $90 back wages for that week

Multiply across pay periods to estimate total owed. In the Wisconsin case the average back wages per employee worked out to about $1,194.75 (i.e., $81,243 ÷ 68), underscoring how small unpaid hours add up over months or years.

Where to go for help — legal resources for student workers

• U.S. Department of Labor — Wage and Hour Division (WHD): file a complaint online or by phone. WHD enforces the FLSA for federal matters.
• State labor or workforce agency: many states have complaint portals and may provide additional protections or quicker timelines.
• Campus resources: Payroll/HR, student employment office, ombudsperson, or campus legal aid clinics.
• Nonprofit worker centers and legal aid: organizations that assist low-wage workers and students.
• Unions and student worker associations: unions can negotiate contracts that include clear hours, timekeeping, and grievance procedures.
• Private counsel: for complex or high-value cases; sometimes lawyers take FLSA claims on contingency.

Reporting flowchart for students (quick steps)

1. Document: log hours and gather evidence.
2. Talk to your supervisor: ask for a correction and keep records of the request.
3. Escalate to campus HR/payroll if unresolved.
4. Contact campus legal aid or a student advocate for guidance.
5. File a complaint with state labor or the DOL WHD if internal steps fail.

Classroom activities and assessment ideas

• Mock investigation: students play the roles of WHD investigator, employer HR rep, and employee to practice evidence-gathering and negotiation.
• Spreadsheet lab: give raw timecards and messy logs; students compute back wages and liquidated damages under FLSA rules.
• Poster project: create a campus-facing rights-and-resources poster to post in student employment offices.
• Policy brief: students draft campus policy recommendations to strengthen timekeeping and training for student workers.

Policy context and future predictions (2026 and beyond)

Expect continued focus on recordkeeping and algorithmic scheduling. In 2024–2026, regulators and courts showed increasing willingness to hold multi-site employers accountable for inconsistent practices — especially where workers report repeated off-the-clock tasks. Campuses should expect scrutiny if student workers report systemic issues. Educators can play a preventive role by teaching rights, promoting clear campus policies, and partnering with HR to run audits.

Final actionable takeaways for students and educators

• Always track your time: keep a personal log — even if your employer uses electronic timekeeping.
• Know your classification: ask if you’re nonexempt or exempt and what that means for overtime.
• Ask for written job descriptions: they help determine exemptions and duties.
• Preserve evidence: emails, schedules, submissions and witness names matter.
• Use campus resources first: HR, student employment, and legal aid often resolve issues quickly.
• Escalate when necessary: state labor agencies and the DOL WHD are there to enforce wage law.

Call to action

Turn this ruling into a learning moment: download our free classroom-ready lesson packet, including time-log templates, role-play scripts and a step-by-step complaint checklist tailored for student workers. Want a live workshop for your class or student organization? Sign up for an interactive webinar where we walk through the Wisconsin case, teach hands-on calculations, and connect students to campus legal resources. Protecting worker rights starts with education — start that conversation on your campus today.

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