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River Falls School Board approves first reading of rewritten attendance policy
Summary
The board approved a first reading of a comprehensive rewrite to attendance policy 04/31 that standardizes proration, reduces parent‑ill days to four per year, preserves 10 parent‑excused days, clarifies chronic‑illness verification and strengthens monitoring before truancy referrals.
Superintendent Dave presented a full rewrite of school board policy 04/31 on student attendance and the board approved the policy for first reading.
The revised policy standardizes how absences are prorated across buildings: an excused or unexcused absence that removes a student from school for 15 minutes to 50% of the day counts as a half day; absences greater than 50% count as a full day. The policy differentiates excused, unexcused and exempt absences and identifies the building principal or designee as the attendance officer responsible for consistent implementation.
A major substantive change narrows the former parent‑ill allowance. Under the new text, parents may excuse a child for illness up to four parent‑ill days per year; the district retains a separate 10‑day parent‑excused category that parents may use for other reasons. Superintendent Dave said the district intentionally used “may” to preserve attendance‑officer discretion on requiring medical verification and to avoid imposing undue financial burden on families.
The policy adds a 30‑day chronic‑illness verification pathway: a physician verification will excuse absences for a specified 30‑day period, with the district nurse authorized to extend that period as needed. The district also clarified procedures when a student becomes ill at school so that an office‑initiated dismissal does not count against a parent’s limited parent‑ill days.
The rewrite emphasizes proactive monitoring and intervention: building staff will use Infinite Campus and periodic absent reports to notify families as students approach allowed limits, provide targeted support and document efforts before any referral for habitual truancy to municipal or county authorities. The policy retains statutory provisions on truancy (habitual truancy defined as unexcused absence for part or all of five school days in a semester) and notes the district’s legal obligation to follow state law.
Trustees praised the clarity and consistency the rewrite provides and asked administrators to produce a one‑page summary and web materials to help families understand the changes. The board approved the first reading and will return for the second reading and final action at a future meeting.
