Attendance

The school requires all students to attend school regularly in accordance with the laws of Wisconsin. The school's educational program is predicated upon the presence of the student and requires continuity of instruction and classroom participation. The regular contact of students with one another in the classroom and their participation in a well‑planned instructional activity under the guidance of a competent teacher are vital to this purpose.

Compulsory Student Attendance

All children between six (6) and eighteen (18) years of age shall attend school regularly during the full period and hours, religious holidays excepted, that the school is in session. All students must attend until the end of the term, quarter or semester of the school year in which the child becomes eighteen (18) years of age unless they fall under an exception outlined in the District's Administrative Guidelines. A child who is enrolled in five (5) year-old kindergarten shall attend school regularly, religious holidays excepted, during the full period and hours that kindergarten is in session until the end of the school term.

Excuse for Absence

A parent of a student who is absent shall provide a written, dated, signed or verbal statement indicating the reason for and the time period of the absence. This statement must be submitted prior to the absence if the absence is foreseeable. If the absence is not foreseeable, the statement must be provided prior to the student’s readmission to school. The statement shall be submitted to the School Attendance Officer and filed in the student’s school record. The District reserves the right to verify statements and investigate absences from school.

If your student is going to be absent, please call (715) 672-8917 option #3 and leave a message on the attendance voicemail. Please leave the reason your child will be absent, and if ill, the suspected illness as this is tracked by the Pepin County Health Department. If your child is absent for a medical appointment, please remember to bring a medical note from the provider.

Excused Absences

A student shall be excused from school for the following reasons:

Physical or Mental Condition

The student is temporarily not in proper physical or mental condition to attend a school program. If the absence exceeds five (5) days, the inability of the student to attend school due to a physical or mental condition must be certified in writing by a licensed physician, dentist, chiropractor, optometrist or psychologist or Christian Science practitioner living and residing in Wisconsin, who is listed in the Christian Science Journal. The time period for which the certification is valid may not exceed thirty [30] days.

Permission of Parent or Guardian

The student may be excused by his or her parent or guardian before the absence for any or no reason. A student may not be excused for more than ten (10) days under this paragraph and must complete any course work missed during the absence. Examples of reasons for being absent that should be counted under this paragraph include, but are not limited to, the following:

A. professional and other necessary appointments (e.g., medical, dental, and legal) that cannot be scheduled outside the school day

B. to attend the funeral of a relative

C. legal proceedings that require the student’s presence

D. college visits – limited to one during senior year

E. vacations

F. Program or Curriculum Modification – The Board has excused the student from regular school attendance to participate in a program or curriculum modification leading to high school graduation or a high school equivalency diploma as provided by State law.

G. High School Equivalency – Secured Facilities – The Board has excused a student from regular school attendance to participate in a program leading to a high school equivalency diploma in a secured correctional facility, a secured child caring institution, a secure detention facility, or a juvenile portion of a county jail, and the student and his/her parent agrees that the student will continue to participate in such a program.

H. Child at Risk – The student is a "child at risk" as defined under State law and is participating in a program at a technical college on either a part-time or full-time basis leading to high school graduation, as provided under State law.

A student may be excused from school, as determined by the School Attendance Officer, or his/her designee, for the following reasons:

1. Quarantine of the student's home by a public health officer.

2. The illness of an immediate family member.

3. An emergency that requires the student to be absent because of familial responsibilities or other appropriate reasons.

Religious Holiday - The student wishes to observe a religious holiday consistent with the student’s creed or belief.

Suspension or Expulsion - The student has been suspended or expelled.

Unexcused Absences

Unexcused absences demonstrate a deliberate disregard for the educational program and are considered a serious matter. The principal will determine on a case-by-case basis the appropriate methods to deal with unexcused absences.

Truancy

A student will be considered truant if he or she is absent part or all of one or more days from school during which the School Attendance Officer, principal, or a teacher has not been notified of the legal cause of such absence by the parent or guardian of the absent student. A student will also be considered truant if he or she has been absent intermittently for the purpose of defeating the intent of the Wisconsin Compulsory Attendance statute – Sec. 118.15, Wis. Stat.

When a student is truant, the School Attendance Officer shall ensure that all applicable provisions of the District’s Truancy Plan are carried out.

Habitual Truancy

A student is considered a habitual truant if he or she is absent from school without an acceptable excuse for part or all of five (5) or more days on which school is held during a school semester.

When a student initially becomes a habitual truant, the School Attendance Officer shall ensure that all applicable provisions of the Districts’ Truancy Plan are carried out.

Parent/Guardian Responsibilities
It is the responsibility of the student’s parent or guardian to ensure that their child attends school regularly. Parents are expected to provide an excuse for all absences.

Student Responsibilities.
Students are required to attend all classes and other school activities on their daily schedule, unless they have been excused from school.

Durand-Arkansaw School District

Durand-Arkansaw Middle & High School

Parents/Students

Parent Access to Student Information

Attendance

Handbooks and Signature Forms

Schedules

School Supplies List

Library Media Center

Yearbook Order

Panther Den

The Haven

Driver's Education

Student Parking

Work Permits

Lost and Found

Volunteer

Resources and Links