Adopted: 07/21/2008
431 Rule
School District of Prairie Farm
Student Attendance Administrative Procedures
I. School Attendance Officer
A. The building principal, or designee, shall 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 schoolare absent from school and whether that absence is excused in accordance with Board policy and established procedures.
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 shall 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/guardian of a child who has been truant of the child’s truancy and direct the parent/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 (1) 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/guardian of the absent student, and also means intermittent attendance carried on for the purpose of defeating the intent of the compulsory attendance law.
E. The school attendance officer shall notify the parent/guardian of a student who is a habitual truant in accordance with procedures outlined in Section VI - Procedure Toward Legal Referral.
“Habitual truant” means a student who is absent from school without an acceptable excuse for either of the following:
1. Part or all of five (5) or more days on which school is held during a school semester.
F. The District Administrator, in cooperation with each school attendance officer, may visit any place of employment in the school district to ascertain whether any minors are employed there contrary to state law. The District Administrator shall 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 district or who claims or is claimed to be in attendance at a private school located in the district.
G. The school attendance officer shall annually inform students and their parent(s)/guardian(s) of their right to request program or curriculum modifications, the types of program or curriculum modifications that can be made, the procedures to be used in requesting and approving program or curriculum modifications for a student and their right to request the Board review any decision made in response to a request for program or curriculum modifications. If a request is made, a decision regarding the request shall be made within ninety (90) days of the request, except as otherwise specifically provided. If the request relates to a student who has been recommended for special education, the decision must be made within thirty (30) days. If a program or curriculum modification request is denied, the reasons for the denial must be given.
II. Student Absences and Excuses
A. The School District of Prairie Farm shall excuse absences in the following categories:
1. Illness/medical
2. Pre-arranged
B. A student may be excused for one (1) of the above reasons if the student’s parent/guardian calls the school office by 10 a.m. on the morning of the absence. Parent(s)/guardian(s) are required to provide a written explanation of absences at the time the student returns to school, or in the case of prearranged absences, prior to the absence.
C. Permission to leave school shall be issued for reasons such as appointments with a doctor, dentist, social service agency or a court appearance. Verification that the student has met the appointment may be required.
D. Students having more than ten (10) absences during a year, not including absences while under a doctor’s care, may be required to present a doctor’s statement to excuse any further absences that quarter.
E. As a general rule, students shall be allowed two (2) days to make up work for each day missed because of an excused absence. The responsibility for arranging make-up work rests solely with the student.
III. Unexcused Absences
A. Students who are absent from school with the consent of their parent/guardian but whose absence does not fall under the reasons listed above shall be considered unexcused. Examples of such reasons include missing the bus, a family trip not approved in advance, oversleeping, a hair cut appointment, or an errand.
B. Leaving school without permission shall be considered an unexcused absence.
C. A student, who skips a class or classes, even if the student does not leave the building, shall be considered truant.
D. Truant students may be required to make up the time missed.
E. Students may receive zeros for daily work or quizzes missed because of unexcused absences. Students shall, however, be allowed to make up any major test or report. The responsibility for arranging make-up work rests solely with the student.
IV. Tardiness
A tardy slip must be obtained from the office when students are late for school in the morning.
V. Responsibilities for Attendance
A. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) Responsibility
1. When a student is absent, his/her parent(s)/guardian(s) shall contact the school by 10:00 a.m. on the day of the absence. Failure to contact the school may result in a telephone call to the home or work place of the parent/guardian.
2. Parent(s)/guardian(s) are required to provide a written notification of absences at the time the student returns to school, or in the case of prearranged absences, prior to the absence. Pre-arranged absences shall receive prior approval of the school attendance officer or designee.
3. A parent’s/guardian’s request for program or curriculum modifications for a student must be in writing.
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 to be absent, shall be expected to provide written notification of the absence signed by his/her parent(s)/guardian(s).
3. Students should 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 good attendance. Classroom procedures and grading requirements shall be developed which reflect the importance of daily assignments, classroom discussion and examinations in grading students.
2. Teachers are required by law to take daily attendance (period by period) in their classes and maintain a record of absences.
D. PreK-12 Principal Responsibility
1. PreK-12 Principal shall request from each teacher, the procedures for grading students. All grading systems throughout the district should reflect the importance of daily assignments and classroom discussion in grading students.
2. The PreK-12 Principal shall maintain office records for all excused absences and unexcused absences that occur in their school building.
E. District Administrator Responsibility
1. The District Administrator shall act on student requests to be excused from regular school attendance to participate in a program leading to high school graduation or high school equivalency. High school graduation program or high school equivalency proposals shall be presented to the District Administrator. Action of the District Administrator may appealed to the school board.
F. School District Responsibility
1. The district shall promote activities within the school that enhance attendance. This shall be done by:
a. Providing students with a copy of school’s attendance policy.
b. Recognizing students for good attendance.
2. The district shall promote activities that increase the community awareness of school attendance issues and regulations. This shall be done by:
a. Annually publishing the district’s attendance policy and state attendance law in the school newsletter prior to the start of the school year.
b. Newspaper
3. The district shall promote home-school cooperation in the implementation of the district’s attendance policy and procedures. This shall be done by:
a. Providing information relative to the attendance policy and procedures, along with the rationale, to parents/guardians and students each year.
VI. Procedures 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 procedures and steps outlined in section 118.16 Wis. Stats.
VII. Return of Truant Student to School
A. When a truant student returns or is returned to school, the student should report to the school attendance officer. It shall be the responsibility of the school to make certain the student is properly programmed for re-entry. This may include, but not necessarily limited to the following:
1. Referral to an at-risk program.
2. Referral to a guidance counselor.
3. Referral to a social worker, school psychologist or other appropriate personnel or special program.
4. Referral to a school tutorial program.
5. Provision for supervised study.
6. Development of a plan for consequences of truancy.
7. Follow-up on obligation of students and parents/guardians regarding attendance.
8. Discussion of alternative educational options and limitations.
C. Procedures
1. Prior to being excused from regular school attendance, the student attendance officer shall discuss the program or curriculum modification options with the student and his/her parent/guardian.
2. The student attendance officer shall inform the District Administrator, in writing, of the request and of the program or curriculum modification(s) leading to high school graduation or a high school equivalency diploma tentatively agreed upon by the student and his/her parent/guardian.
3. The District Administrator shall act on the request for high school equivalency or high school graduation. Any decision made by the District Administrator in response to the request for program or curriculum modification shall be reviewed by the school board upon request of the child’s parent or guardian.
4. A written agreement must be signed by the student, his/her parent/guardian, the Board and a representative of the high school equivalency program or program leading to the student’s high school graduation. This agreement must be signed prior to the student’s admission to such program.
5. The Board shall monitor the agreement on a regular basis and at least once per semester. If upon review it is determined that a student is not complying with the agreement, the student and his/her parent/guardian and the high school equivalency program or program leading to high school graduation shall be notified that the agreement may be modified or suspended in thirty (30) days.
6. If the agreement is suspended, the student shall be expected to attend school on a regular basis in accordance with state law, Board policy and established procedures. Failure to attend school shall result in forfeiture for truancy in accordance with established ordinances.
LEGAL REF.: Sections 118.15 Wisconsin Statutes
118.153
118.16
118.162
118.165
CROSS REF.: 342.4, Programs for Children At Risk
347, Student Records
431, School Attendance
431.1 Exhibit, Waiver Form - Trip with Adult
431.1 (2) Exhibit, Waiver Form - Trip to Postsecondary School
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