118.16 School attendance enforcement.

647 words·~3 min read·/wi/chapter-118/118-16

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

(1)In this section:

(a)“Habitual truant” means a pupil who is absent from school without an acceptable excuse under sub.

(4)and s. 118.15 for part or all of 5 or more days on which school is held during a school semester.

(b)“School attendance officer” means an employee designated by the school board to deal with matters relating to school attendance and truancy. “School attendance officer” does not include an individual designated under sub.

(a)to take into custody a child who is absent from school without an acceptable excuse under s. 118.15 unless that individual has also been designated by the school board to deal with matters relating to school attendance and truancy.

(c)“Truancy” means any absence of part or all of one or more days from school during which the school attendance officer, principal or teacher has not been notified of the legal cause of such absence by the parent or guardian of the absent pupil, and also means intermittent attendance carried on for the purpose of defeating the intent of s. 118.15 .

(1m)The period during which a pupil is absent from school due to a suspension or expulsion under s. 120.13 or 119.25 is neither an absence without an acceptable excuse for the purposes of sub.

(a)nor an absence without legal cause for the purposes of sub.

(c).

(2)The school attendance officer:

(a)Shall determine daily which pupils enrolled in the school district are absent from school and whether that absence is excused under s. 118.15 .

(c)Except as provided under pars.

(cg)and

(cr), 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 under s. 118.15 . The notice under this paragraph shall be given before the end of the 2nd school day after receiving a report of an unexcused absence. The notice may be made by electronic communication, personal contact, 1st class mail, or telephone call of which a written record is kept. The school attendance officer shall attempt to give notice by personal contact, telephone call, or, unless the parent or guardian has refused to receive electronic communication, electronic communication before notice by 1st class mail may be given.

(cg)Shall notify the parent or guardian of a child who is a habitual truant, by registered or certified mail or by 1st class mail, when the child initially becomes a habitual truant. The school attendance officer may simultaneously notify the parent or guardian of the habitually truant child by an electronic communication. The notice shall include all of the following:

1. A statement of the parent’s or guardian’s responsibility, under s. 118.15

(a)and

(am), to cause the child to attend school regularly.

2. A statement that the parent, guardian or child may request program or curriculum modifications for the child under s. 118.15

(d)and that the child may be eligible for enrollment in a program for children at risk under s. 118.153

(3).

3. A request that the parent or guardian meet with appropriate school personnel to discuss the child’s truancy. The notice shall include the name of the school personnel with whom the parent or guardian should meet, a date, time and place for the meeting and the name, address and telephone number of a person to contact to arrange a different date, time or place. The date for the meeting shall be within 5 school days after the date that the notice is sent, except that with the consent of the child’s parent or guardian the date for the meeting may be extended for an additional 5 school days.