SCHOOL DISTRICT OF AMERY
STUDENT ATTENDANCE ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
I. Student Attendance Officer
A. The principal or the designee will serve as the school attendance officer for each school in the district and deal with all
matters relating to school attendance and truancy.
B. Each school shall determine daily which students enrolled in the school are absent from school and whether that absence is
excused in accordance with Board policy and established procedure.
C. Annually, on or before June 15, the school attendance officer shall determine how many students enrolled in each school in
the district were absent in the previous year and whether the absences were excused. This information will be submitted to
the district administrator who shall notify the State Superintendent of Public Instruction of the determination.
D. The school attendance officer, or designee, shall notify the parent or guardian of a child who has been truant of the child’s
truancy and direct the parent or guardian to return the child to school no later than the next day on which school is in session
or to provide an excuse. The notice under this paragraph must be given before the end of the second school day after
receiving a report of an unexcused absence and may be made by personal service, mail, or telephone call on which a written
record is kept.
“Truancy” means any absence of part or all of one or more school days during which the school attendance officer or teacher
has not been notified of the legal cause of such absence by the parent or guardian of the absent student, and also means
intermittent attendance carried on for the purpose of defeating the intent of Section 118.15.
E. The school attendance officer shall notify the parent or guardian of a student who is a habitual truant in accordance with
procedures outlined in Section VII, Procedure Toward Legal Referral. “Habitual Truant” means a student who is absent
from school without an acceptable excuse for part or all of 5 or more days on which school is held during a school semester.
F.
The district administrator, or his designee, in cooperation with each school attendance officer, will visit any place of
employment in the school district to ascertain whether any minors are employed contrary to state law.
G. The district administrator or his designee will provide the State Superintendent of Public Instruction with information
regarding the attendance of any child between the ages of six (6) and eighteen (18) years who is a resident of the school
district or who claims or is claimed to be in attendance at a private school or home-based private educational program located
in the district.
H. The school attendance officer shall furnish student attendance information to the county welfare agency as requested for
implementation of Wisconsin’s Learnfare Program. Student attendance information shall only be released if appropriate
“release of confidentiality” forms have been filed with the district in accordance with provisions of state law and the district’s
student records policy.
II. Student Absences and Excuses
A. The responsibility for regular school attendance of a student rests upon the student’s parent(s) or guardian.
B. All excused absences require parent/guardian/legal custodian verification (written, phone call, etc.) that is to be submitted to
the school attendance officer, or designee, in advance of the absence or prior to re-admittance to school. The school
attendance officer is empowered to approve a legal excuse to any student for the following reasons:
1. Evidence that the student is not in proper physical or mental condition to attend school or an educational program. The
district may request the parent or guardian to obtain a written statement from a physician or licensed practitioner as proof
of the physical or mental condition of the student. Such excuse shall be made in writing, shall state the period of time for
which it is valid, and shall not exceed 30 days.
2.
Serious family emergency.
3.
Medical, dental, chiropractic, optometric, or other valid professional appointments. Parents or guardians are requested to
make their appointments during non-school hours. Prior notice to the school is requested.
4.
A death in the immediate family or funerals for close relatives.
5.
Religious holidays
6.
Any child may be excused for personal reasons by his or her parents/guardian. This excuse must be made in writing prior
to the absence. The District shall require a child excused under this section to complete any course work missed during
the absence. A child may not be excused for more than 10 days in a school year under this section.
7.
A court appearance or other legal procedure that requires the attendance of the student.
8.
A quarantine as imposed by a public health officer.
9.
Attendance at special events of educational value as approved by the school attendance officer, or designee.
10. Approved school activities during class time.
C. All students with excused absences will be given the opportunity to make up work missed in accordance with the following
guidelines:
1. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the teacher(s) to make arrangements for making up work missed during an
absence from school.
2.
Students who miss classes for reasons that are determined to be excused will be given the opportunity, whenever
possible, to make up work missed when they return to school. Any student who has been legally excused from school
has two days for each day absent to make up work and is responsible for doing so.
3. Examinations missed during an excused absence will be permitted to be taken at a time mutually agreed upon by the
student and the teacher.
III. Unexcused Absences
A. Students who are absent from school with the consent of their parent(s) or guardian, but whose absence does not fall under
the reasons listed above shall be considered unexcused.
B. All students with an unexcused absence will be permitted to make up an examination missed during an absence.
C. The District authorizes the Administration to establish a policy to enhance the attendance requirement and to determine
appropriate action to serve as a deterrent to truancy, including detention. All detention must be completed as a requirement
for graduation exercises.
D. A student who is absent from school for an unacceptable reason or is truant will also be considered unexcused. Students who
are truant will be required to make up all work missed, including examinations, but will be allowed only one class period for
make up.
IV. Limitation of Aggregate Number of Absences
A. The school will notify the parents of students who have acquired absences (excused and unexcused) for the school year
totaling all or parts of 11 days, 15 days, and 20 days. All absences after the twentieth day (excused and unexcused) not
verified by a M.D., chiropractor or Christian Science practitioner will be unexcused (consistent with the attendance policy).
V.
Tardiness
A. A pattern of tardiness on the part of any student will be brought to the attention of the student’s parent(s) or guardian. If it
appears that the student is negligent, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.
VI. Responsibilities for Attendance
A. Parent(s) / Guardian Responsibility
1. When a student is absent, his/her parent(s) or guardian must contact the school during the day by the time established
at each school. Failure to contact the school will result in a telephone call to the home or work place of the parent or
guardian.
2. Parents or guardians are required to provide a written explanation of absences at the time the student returns to school,
if no phone contact was made.
B. Student Responsibility
1. Students are required to attend all of their scheduled classes, study halls, and lunch periods, unless they have obtained
parental permission and a pass approved by the student attendance officer, or designee.
2. A student who has been absent, or is anticipating absence, shall be expected to provide a written explanation of the
absence signed by his/her parents(s) or guardian.
3.
Students must always check in and out at the school building office when they leave and return to school.
C. Teacher Responsibility
1. Teachers are required to emphasize the importance and necessity of goodattendance. Classroom procedure and
grading requirements will be developed which reflect the importance of daily assignments, classroom discussion, and
examinations in grading students.
D. Principal Responsibility
1. Principals shall request from each teacher, the procedures used for grading students. All grading systems throughout
the school district should reflect the importance of daily assignments and classroom discussion in grading students.
E. District Administrator Responsibility
1. The district administrator shall present student withdrawal request to the Board for approval. High school
equivalency or high school graduation program proposals shall be presented along with such requests.
F.
School District Responsibility
1. The school district has a responsibility to stress, on a routine basis, the importance of regular school attendance to
students, parents, employers, and the community.
2.
The school district shall promote activities within the school that enhance attendance. This will be done by:
a. Displaying the attendance policy, state compulsory attendance law and county ordinances within each
building.
b. Recognizing students for good attendance.
c. Reviewing the truancy plan and procedures during faculty in-service and student assemblies or
homerooms at the beginning of the year.
3.
The school district shall promote activities that increase the community awareness of school attendance issues and
regulations. This will be done by:
a. Annually publishing the district’s attendance policy and state attendance law in the local newspaper
prior to the start of the year.
4.
VII.
b.
Providing speaking opportunities for local service club programs and public service radio
programming.
c.
Encouraging employers to establish work schedules which reduce interference with school attendance
and scheduled detentions.
The school district shall promote home-school cooperation in the implementation of the district’s attendance policy
and procedures. This will be done by:
a. Providing information relative to the attendance policy and procedures, along with the rationale, to
parents and students each year.
Procedure Toward Legal Referral
A legal referral may be initiated if a poor attendance pattern has continued and if the school attendance officer has completed
the following:
A. Met with the student’s parent(s) or guardian to discuss the student’s truancy, or has attempted to meet with the student’s
parent or guardian and has been refused. (After the third unexcused absence during a school semester, a letter should be
sent to the student’s parent(s) or guardian by certified mail). The following items should be met:
1. The school attendance officer should be specific when scheduling a meeting with the student’s parent or guardian.
For example, a specific date, time, and place should be identified in the letter.
2.
Flexibility should be allowed in changing the meeting time if the student’s parent(s) or guardian is unable to attend at
the specified time due to work or another commitment. This should be done early in the process so that another
meeting time can be set without circumventing and lengthening the process.
3.
Document whether or not the parent showed up for conference and what was discussed.
B. Met with the student’s parent(s) or guardian to discuss the student’s truancy, or has attempted to meet with the student’s
parent or guardian and has been refused. (After the 5 th unexcused absence within a semester a second letter should be sent
to the student’s parent(s) or guardian by certified mail). The following should be met:
1. Provided an opportunity for educational counseling to the student to determine whether a change in the student’s
curriculum would resolve the student’s truancy and has considered curriculum modifications.
a. The school attendance officer should specifically review the compulsory school attendance and truancy laws
regarding curriculum modification options.
b.
Educational counseling may be done by the school counselor, principal, teachers, etc. An I.E.P. evaluation is not
required unless there is a suspected exceptional educational need (EEN).
c.
The educational placement of the student should be reviewed in the school year of the problem. A review
conducted outside the school year (August to May) should not be used.
C. Evaluate the student to determine whether learning problems may be a cause of the student’s truancy and, if so, has taken
appropriate action or made appropriate referrals.
1. If there is a suspected EEN, referral should be made to the I.E.P. team.
2.
The evaluation must include a review of the records, communication with the student, the student’s teacher(s),
and the student’s parent(s) or guardian; and, observation if appropriate.
3.
Learning problems should be looked at carefully for classic EEN, or lack there of, as well as other types of
contributing problems (e.g., physical).
D. Conducted an evaluation to determine whether social problems may be a cause of the student’s truancy and, is so, has
taken appropriate action or made appropriate referrals. (After the fifth unexcused absence within a 10 day period or after
the tenth unexcused absence during a school semester, a letter should be sent to the student’s parent(s) or guardian by
certified mail, which identifies the student as a habitual truant).
1. A summary letter from the person doing the evaluation to the intake worker.
VIII.
Legal Referral
A. Specific documentation and the completion of the required referral form is mandatory before any legal action can be
taken. This form should be submitted to the juvenile intake officer. The statute does not stipulate quantitative data;
however, the more evidence presented in court, the more likely equitable consequences. Phone calls, letters, referrals,
and meetings should be documented. This is a critical part of the truancy procedures as it is necessary to establish that
the student in question is “habitually truant.”
B. The juvenile intake officer has forty (40) days by statute to review a truancy case. The juvenile intake officer
acknowledges that expedience shall be of primary interest and will limit his/her time deadlines to ten (10) working days
from the time the referral is made, provided proper documentation accompanies the referral.
C. The case will be submitted to the district attorney who has twenty (20) days by the statute to act. The district attorney
acknowledges that expedience shall be of primary interest and will limit his/her time deadlines to ten (10) working days
from the time the action is filed (or determination of non-filed) and services rendered. It shall not take more than four
(4) weeks for the student to appear in court, if appropriate.
LEGAL REF:
SECTIONS
118.15, Wisconsin Statutes
118.153
118.16
118.162
118.165
Amery Municipal Truancy Ordinance