MADISON, Wis. -- The Wisconsin Supreme Court will decide whether personal e-mails sent by public employees are subject to the state's open records law.

The case involves five teachers in the Wisconsin Rapids School District. A citizen asked for e-mails sent from their work computers to determine if they were spending too much time on personal business.

The employees didn't object to releasing work e-mails but filed a lawsuit to keep their personal messages private. A judge ordered the e-mails made public, but the teachers appealed.

The District 4 Court of Appeals in Madison asked the high court in April to take the case because of its broader implications. The court announced Monday it has agreed to consider the case.