Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 118 - General school operations.
118.163 - Municipal truancy and school dropout ordinances.

118.163 Municipal truancy and school dropout ordinances.
(1) In this section:
(a) “Dropout" has the meaning given in s. 118.153 (1) (b).
(b) “Habitual truant" has the meaning given in s. 118.16 (1) (a).
(c) “Operating privilege" has the meaning given in s. 340.01 (40).
(d) “Truant" means a pupil who is absent from school without an acceptable excuse under ss. 118.15 and 118.16 (4) for part or all of any day on which school is held during a school semester.
(1m) A county, city, village or town may enact an ordinance prohibiting a person under 18 years of age from being a truant. The ordinance shall provide which of the following dispositions are available to the court:
(a) An order for the person to attend school.
(b) A forfeiture of not more than $50 plus costs for a first violation, or a forfeiture of not more than $100 plus costs for any 2nd or subsequent violation committed within 12 months of a previous violation, subject to s. 938.37 and subject to a maximum cumulative forfeiture amount of not more than $500 for all violations committed during a school semester. All or part of the forfeiture plus costs may be assessed against the person, the parents or guardian of the person, or both.
(c) An order for the person to report to a youth report center after school, in the evening, on weekends, on other nonschool days, or at any other time that the person is not under immediate adult supervision, for participation in the social, behavioral, academic, community service, and other programming of the center as described in s. 938.342 (1d) (c).
(2) A county, city, village or town may enact an ordinance prohibiting a person under 18 years of age from being a habitual truant. The ordinance shall provide which of the following dispositions are available to the court:
(a) Suspension of the person's operating privilege for not less than 30 days nor more than one year. The court may take possession of any suspended license. If the court takes possession of a license, it shall destroy the license. The court shall forward to the department of transportation a notice stating the reason for and the duration of the suspension.
(b) An order for the person to participate in counseling or a supervised work program or other community service work as described in s. 938.34 (5g). The costs of any such counseling, supervised work program or other community service work may be assessed against the person, the parents or guardian of the person, or both. Any county department of human services or social services, community agency, public agency or nonprofit charitable organization administering a supervised work program or other community service work to which a person is assigned pursuant to an order under this paragraph acting in good faith has immunity from any civil liability in excess of $25,000 for any act or omission by or impacting on that person.
(c) An order for the person to remain at home except during hours in which the person is attending religious worship or a school program, including travel time required to get to and from the school program or place of worship. The order may permit a person to leave his or her home if the person is accompanied by a parent or guardian.
(d) An order for the person to attend an educational program as described in s. 938.34 (7d).
(e) An order for the department of workforce development to revoke, under s. 103.72, a permit under s. 103.70 authorizing the employment of the person.
(f) An order for the person to be placed in a teen court program as described in s. 938.342 (1g) (f).
(g) An order for the person to attend school.
(h) A forfeiture of not more than $500 plus costs, subject to s. 938.37. All or part of the forfeiture plus costs may be assessed against the person, the parents or guardian of the person, or both.
(i) Any other reasonable conditions consistent with this subsection, including a curfew, restrictions as to going to or remaining on specified premises and restrictions on associating with other children or adults.
(j) An order placing the person under formal or informal supervision, as described in s. 938.34 (2), for up to one year.
(k) An order for the person's parent, guardian or legal custodian to participate in counseling at the parent's, guardian's or legal custodian's own expense or to attend school with the person, or both.
(L) An order for the person to report to a youth report center after school, in the evening, on weekends, on other nonschool days, or at any other time that the person is not under immediate adult supervision, for participation in the social, behavioral, academic, community service, and other programming of the center as described in s. 938.342 (1g) (k).
(2m)
(a) A county, city, village or town may enact an ordinance permitting a court to suspend the operating privilege of a person who is at least 16 years of age but less than 18 years of age and is a dropout. The ordinance shall provide that the court may suspend the person's operating privilege until the person reaches the age of 18. The court may take possession of any suspended license. If the court takes possession of a license, it shall destroy the license. The court shall forward to the department of transportation a notice stating the reason for and the duration of the suspension.
(b) A court may order a school district to provide to the court a list of all persons who are known to the school district to be dropouts and who reside within the county in which the circuit court is located or the municipality in which the municipal court is located. Upon request, the department of transportation shall assist the court to determine which dropouts have operating privileges.
(3) An ordinance enacted by a county under sub. (1m), (2) or (2m) is applicable and may be enforced in that part of any city or village located in the county and in any town located in the county regardless of whether the city, village or town has enacted an ordinance under sub. (1m), (2) or (2m).
(4) A person who is under 17 years of age on the date of disposition is subject to s. 938.342.
History: 1987 a. 285; 1991 a. 39; 1993 a. 363; 1995 a. 27 s. 9130 (4); 1995 a. 77, 352; 1997 a. 3, 35, 239; 2001 a. 16; 2009 a. 103.
A circuit court judge hearing a municipal truancy case is acting as a juvenile court, and the case is governed by ch. 938. The court lacks statutory authority to order sanctions if the court never enters written dispositional orders that could serve as a basis for sanctions. Under s. 938.355 (6m) (ag), a court may sanction a juvenile who has been adjudicated truant if it finds by a preponderance of the evidence that the juvenile violated a condition of a dispositional order. Section 938.355 (2) (b) states that the dispositional order shall be in writing. A court's minutes sheet is not a court order. A court order must be signed by a judge. State v. Dylan S., 2012 WI App 25, 339 Wis. 2d 442, 813 N.W.2d 229, 11-1338.

Structure Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations

Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations

Chapter 118 - General school operations.

118.001 - Duties and powers of school boards; construction of statutes.

118.01 - Educational goals and expectations.

118.015 - Reading instruction.

118.016 - Assessments of reading readiness.

118.017 - Foreign language instruction.

118.019 - Human growth and development instruction.

118.02 - Special observance days.

118.025 - Arbor day observance.

118.03 - Textbooks.

118.035 - School uniforms.

118.04 - Summer classes.

118.045 - Commencement of school term.

118.05 - School conservation camps.

118.06 - Flag, pledge of allegiance, and national anthem.

118.07 - Health and safety requirements.

118.075 - Indoor environmental quality in schools.

118.076 - Lifesaving skills instruction.

118.08 - School zones; crossings.

118.09 - Safety zones.

118.10 - School safety patrols.

118.105 - Control of traffic on school premises.

118.11 - School fences.

118.12 - Sale of goods and services at schools.

118.123 - Reports and records; forfeitures.

118.125 - Pupil records.

118.126 - Privileged communications.

118.127 - Law enforcement agency information.

118.13 - Pupil discrimination prohibited.

118.133 - Participation in interscholastic athletics and extracurricular activities.

118.134 - Race-based nicknames, logos, mascots, and team names.

118.135 - Eye examinations and evaluations.

118.14 - Age of pupils; phase in of 4-year-old kindergarten.

118.145 - Admission to high school.

118.15 - Compulsory school attendance.

118.153 - Children at risk of not graduating from high school.

118.155 - Released time for religious instruction.

118.16 - School attendance enforcement.

118.162 - Truancy committee and plan.

118.163 - Municipal truancy and school dropout ordinances.

118.164 - Removal of pupils from the class.

118.165 - Private schools.

118.167 - Private school determination by state superintendent.

118.169 - Pupil identification.

118.17 - Indigent children.

118.175 - Pupils without parents or guardians; report required.

118.18 - Teacher reports.

118.19 - Teacher certificates and licenses; administrator and pupil services professional licenses.

118.191 - Experience-based licensure for technical and vocational education subjects.

118.1915 - Licensure for Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps instructors.

118.192 - Professional teaching permits.

118.193 - Licenses based on reciprocity.

118.194 - Initial license to teach; Montessori.

118.195 - Discrimination against handicapped teachers prohibited.

118.196 - Teacher development program.

118.197 - Initial license to teach; alternative preparation programs.

118.20 - Teacher discrimination prohibited.

118.21 - Teacher contracts.

118.22 - Renewal of teacher contracts.

118.223 - Collective bargaining.

118.225 - Teacher evaluations.

118.23 - Populous counties; teacher tenure.

118.235 - Lunch period for teachers.

118.24 - School district administrator.

118.245 - Referendum; increase in employee wages.

118.25 - Health examinations.

118.255 - Health treatment services for children with special physical or mental health treatment needs.

118.257 - Liability for referral to police.

118.258 - Electronic communication devices prohibited.

118.26 - Claim against school district.

118.27 - Gifts and grants.

118.28 - Community action agencies.

118.29 - Administration of drugs and emergency care.

118.291 - Asthmatic pupils; possession and use of inhalers.

118.292 - Possession and use of epinephrine.

118.2925 - Life-threatening allergies in schools; use of epinephrine.

118.293 - Concussion and head injury.

118.2935 - Sudden cardiac arrest; youth athletic activities.

118.295 - Suicide intervention; civil liability exemption.

118.30 - Pupil assessment.

118.301 - Alternative pupil assessments.

118.305 - Use of seclusion and physical restraint.

118.31 - Corporal punishment.

118.32 - Strip search by school employee.

118.325 - Locker searches.

118.33 - High school graduation standards; criteria for promotion.

118.34 - Technical preparation programs.

118.35 - Programs for gifted and talented pupils.

118.38 - Waivers of laws and rules.

118.40 - Charter schools.

118.42 - Low-performing school districts and schools; state superintendent interventions.

118.43 - Achievement guarantee contracts; state aid.

118.44 - Achievement gap reduction; state aid.

118.45 - Tests for alcohol use.

118.46 - Policy on bullying.

118.50 - Whole grade sharing.

118.51 - Full-time open enrollment.

118.52 - Part-time open enrollment.

118.53 - Attendance by pupils enrolled in a home-based private educational program.

118.55 - Early college credit program.

118.56 - Work based learning programs.

118.57 - Notice of educational options; accountability report performance category; pupil assessments.

118.60 - Parental choice program for eligible school districts and other school districts.