Attendance & Absence - Mequon-Thiensville School District

Success starts with regular attendance. Regular attendance fosters a sense of routine, discipline, and commitment in students, laying a solid foundation for their overall development. Attending classes consistently ensures that your child can actively participate in discussions, engage with peers, and benefit from the enriching learning experiences we offer.

At MTSD, we have developed our attendance policy and procedures to follow Wisconsin State Law and to prioritize regular attendance.

MTSD Attendance Procedures
Wisconsin State Law

MTSD Attendance Procedures

If your student is absent from class, you will receive a phone call from school indicating your student did not attend class that day.

At the end of each trimester, you will receive an email with your students current attendance including missing days/periods.

If your student misses 5 days of school (excused or unexcused), you will receive a 5-day absence notification email.

If your student reaches 10 days, you will receive a 10-day absence notification letter in the mail and may require a meeting with your building principal.

If the student's absences become a concern to the school, our staff will work with the student and their family to create an action plan before it becomes a chronic issue.

Wisconsin State Law

Parents/Guardians of children between the ages of 6 & 18 are required to ensure they attend school regularly.

The child should attend school during the full period and hours when the school is in session, with the exception of religious holidays.

Parents/Guardian may excuse their child’s absence in writing before the absence, but may not be excused for more than 10 days in a school year.

There is no limit in state law regarding how many days a student may be excused from school because of illness. MTSD require a doctor's note of confirmation of illness and duration of time not allowed to return to school.

Click here to read the full school attendance law from the State of Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the process for reporting absences?

New for the 2024-25 school year, parents and guardians are encouraged to submit absence requests for their student/s through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. This new process is meant to take the place of submitting student absences via phone or email and, once fully implemented, will provide a more quick and efficient way to manage your student/s’ attendance.

Please click here for directions on submitting an absence request via Infinite Campus on a desktop/laptop computer or on a mobile device.
Please click here to review Frequently Asked Questions about submitting an absence request via Infinite Campus.

Parents/guardians may also call the office at 262-238-4220 to report an absence.

What absences are considered excused?

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

A. Physical or Mental Condition: The student is temporarily not in proper physical or mental condition to attend a school program, such as an illness. Medical verification may be required which would include dates of the illness that the child should not be in school and must include a date the child can return.

B. Emergency or Crisis: An emergency that requires the student to be absent because of familial responsibilities or other appropriate reasons.

C. Attendance at a Funeral

D. Medical Appointments: Appointments with medical professionals. Such appointments are to be made, whenever possible, when school is not in session. When emergencies arise, appointments as early or as late in the school day as possible are recommended. Verification of appointments may be required.

E. Travel with Family: The intent of this statement is to provide opportunity for students to accompany their parent/ guardian on an out of town trip, which cannot be reasonably scheduled when school is not in session. A parent/ guardian shall notify the building principal/ designee prior to leaving on the trip, of the pending absence for the purposes of attendance maintenance and for reviewing the potential impact to the student’s attendance record and academic standing.

F. Obtaining Religious Instruction: To enable the student to obtain religious instruction outside the school during the required school period (see Policy 5223-Release Time for Religious Instruction)

G. Religious Holiday: Students’ sincerely held religious beliefs shall be reasonable accommodated with respect to academic activities, examinations, co-curricular activities, special events (e.g. dances). For observance of a religious holiday consistent with the student’s creed or belief, see Policy 5223.01-Accommodating Sincerely Held Religious Beliefs

H. Permission of Parent or Guardian: The student has been excused by his/her parent or guardian before the absence for any or no reason. A student may not be excused for more than ten (10) days in a school year under this paragraph and must complete any course work missed during the absence

I. Suspension or Expulsion: The student has been suspended or expelled

J. Program or Curriculum Modification: The District 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.

K. High School Equivalency-Secured Facilities: The District 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 or guardian agree that the student will continue to participate in such a program.

L. 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.

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

N. Illness of an Immediate Family Member: The illness of an immediate family member.

What is the difference between an EXCUSED and EXEMPT absence?

Parents are permitted to excuse their child from school for up to 10 days. This would include minor illnesses, regularly scheduled doctors or dental visits, vacations or other reasons.

Absences considered EXEMPT from the 10 day total would include a medical illness accompanied by a doctor's note indicating the dates a child should remain out of school and a return date, emergency medical visits or hospitalizations.

School staff will work with families regarding attendance to create an action plan for special situations related to health and other issues.

My child just has a slight fever and will be back to school in a few days. Do I need to provide a doctor's note every time my child is home sick?

MTSD encourages parents to keep their children home if they are sick. Our guidelines are they should be fever free for 24 hours, or have not vomited or had diarrhea for 48 hours before returning to the classroom.

We do not expect parents to get a medical note for minor illnesses that keep your child home sick. Parents can excuse their student for up to 10 days. If there is an ongoing health issue that affects your students attendance, staff will work with the family to develop a health plan.

When is a child considered "Chronically Absent"?

When is a child considered "Habitually Truant"?

A student will be considered truant if he or she is absent part or all of one (1) or more days from school during which the principal or designee has not been notified of the legal cause of such absence by the parent or guardian of the absent student. A student who is absent intermittently for the purpose of defeating the intent of the Wisconsin Compulsory Attendance Statute Sec. 118.15, Wis. Stats., will also be considered truant.

A student will be 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.

If habitual truancy occurs, the principal will communicate with the proper authorities under State law, the Board’s policies and procedures, and applicable provisions of State law. The District will review and, if appropriate, revise a Truancy Plan at least once every two (2) years.

What is notification of truancy?

The school attendance officer shall notify a truant student's parent or guardian of the student's truancy and direct the parent or guardian to return the student to school no later than the next day on which school is in session or to provide an excuse for the absence. The notice of truancy shall be given before the end of the second school day after receiving a report of an unexcused absence. Notice shall be made by personal contact or telephone call, if possible, and a written record of this notice shall be kept. If such notice is not effective, notice shall be made by mail. This notice must be given every time a student is truant until the student becomes a habitual truant.

What is notification of habitual truancy?

When a student initially becomes a habitual truant, the school attendance officer shall provide a notice to the student's parent or guardian, by registered or certified mail according to state statute.

Truancy cases will be referred to the district attorney as provided in statute. The school attendance officer will ensure that appropriate school personnel have complied with District procedures before referral to the district attorney.