Truancy Problems Facing Arrowhead

“Good student attendance and punctuality reflect a high degree of self-discipline. Cooperation is encouraged on the part of the students and their parents. Attendance is one of the key factors in maintaining and improving achievement levels in all subjects and maintaining quality student-teacher contact. Every absence tends to decrease the efficiency of this total school process,” says Policy: 632 from the Arrowhead Handbook. 

Per the State of Wisconsin, a student is allowed 100 absences (10 full days) before consequences. When a student reaches/surpasses 100 absences, a student under the age of 18 years can and will most likely receive a citation for Truancy.

The citation issued will have a mandatory court appearance and a monetary fine associated with it.

Matthew Vanderboom, Arrowhead resource officer, says “If the student is 18 years or older, the school can revoke parking privileges, remove a student from an extracurricular activity, and/or limit the max score for a grade at 50%. A citation cannot be issued to a student when they reach 18yrs old,”.

There is not an official number of absences before a student is ‘warned’. Generally the number is around 60-80 (6-8 complete days) total absences, but it can change. 

“The school will send home two letters. The first letter is sent after 50-60 absences and simply a notification for parents,” says Vanderboom. 

Policy: 632 from the Arrowhead Handbook says, “An open enrollment application shall be denied if the student was habitually truant during any semester of attendance at a District school in the current or previous school year, and the student had a further instance of truancy in that same semester after the District notified the student’s parent or guardian of the habitual truancy,”.