Attendance

EXCUSES FOR ABSENCE
When a student is absent for any reason, parents are asked to contact the Attendance office before 9:00 am and notify the attendance office of the reason of the absence. Parents/guardians will be called at home or work after 9:30 am to verify any absence if a phone call is not received. If contact is not made with a parent/guardian, the Attendance Office must receive a written excuse or personal phone call no late than the day after the students returns from an absence. The parent/guardian must indicate the reason for the absence. In some instances, upon the request of the school, a statement from a physician may be required explaining the cause of a student's absence. Any absence which has not followed the above procedure will be considered unexcused. School officials determine if an absence is excused. Students who are absent from school for an entire day will not be allowed to participate in after-school activities for the day they are absent. If a student returns to school for part of that day, it will be at the administration's discretion as to whether that student may participate in any after-school activity.

APPOINTMENTS DURING THE DAY
We encourage parents to schedule medical, dental or counseling appointments outside of the school day. When this is not possible, students are to report to the Attendance Office before first period with a note to get an outside pass. Students should also report back to the Attendance Office when they return to school. We expect students to return after the appointment. A note from the doctor's office is required for the absence to be medically excused.

ANTICIPATED ABSENCES
Although students should be in attendance each day, sometimes absences can be anticipated. The Wausau School District does not encourage absences for family vacations because of lost instructional time. If parents/guardians know in advance that their child will be missing 3 or more school days, an anticipated absence form must be completed. Forms can be picked up in the Attendance Office. The student will have each teacher initial the form and indicate assignments that will be covered during the absence and make arrangements for completing the work. Teachers will also indicate current academic status and possible effect the absence will have. The completed form is to be returned to the Attendance Office before the absence.

TARDINESS
It is important that every student develop the habit of being on time. Tardiness disrupts classes and indicates a lack of concern and responsibility. If a student is more than ten minutes tardy to class, this will be considered an absence from that class.

If you are tardy because you arrived late from another class where the teacher held you, get your excuse from that teacher.

Students arriving late to school must check in receive a pass from the Attendance Office. A note or phone call from a parent/guardian must be received by the attendance office for the tardy to be excused. If the Attendance Office does not receive a note or a phone call from a parent/guardian, the student will be considered unexcused.

Discipline for classroom tardiness will be handled by individual teachers. However, continued tardiness may be referred to the associate principal.

Students who are continually tardy to school will be referred to the associate principal. Students will be assigned either a noon hour or an after school detention to make up the time. Excessive tardiness will be considered truancy.

TRUANCY
Truancy denotes any absences of part of all of one or more days from school during which the principal or teacher has not been notified of the legal cause of such absence by the parent/guardian of the absent pupil. (WI Statute 118.15 & 118.16)

Students will be required to make up all time missed for unexcused absences. For further information on attendance and procedures for students identified as habitually truant, please see the Board of Education Parent/Student Handbook on the district website.

When a student is identified as having attendance concerns, the student's John Muir school counselor or associate principal will meet with the student to discuss possible barriers to regular attendance and parents will be contacted by phone or in writing if concerns persist. At the discretion of the attendance secretary/associate principal, students will be referred to the Wausau Truancy Abatement Program. After multiple steps to alleviate absences involving students and parents, a referral may be made to the Police Liasion Officer to consider issuing a truancy citation.