Should students who miss school — and resist any other way of getting them to go — get a citation or ticket? The Appleton Area School District and the Appleton Common Council hope to hear the community’s answers to that question.
The school district is holding a listening session on Aug. 4 at the Appleton Public Library, 200 N. Appleton St., about school attendance in the district and a potential reinstatement of truancy enforcement.
The listening session will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the library’s Cornerstone Conference Room.
In a news release, the district said the session was “part of our ongoing efforts to address and improve high school student attendance in collaboration with the City of Appleton” and that feedback during the session would be shared with the Appleton Common Council.
The district has answers to frequently asked questions at bit.ly/AASDtruancyFAQ2025.
Truancy enforcement ordinance still under debate since March
Last March, AASD Superintendent Greg Hartjes asked the Common Council to reinstate truancy enforcement. Since then, a resolution for reinstatement has lingered in the Common Council Safety and Licensing Committee.
During a July 9 committee meeting, the district made its case to the Common Council for reinstatement.
Appleton West school counselor Wendy Falk told the Common Council that some parents and caregivers felt “powerless” to get their teenage students to go to school, and getting students into the school building was crucial to supporting them.
She also said that “something tangible,” like a ticket or citation, might stand a chance at getting some students to engage with the district.
“What we’re trying to do is help them understand that this is what’s asked of you as a responsible citizen,” she added. “We’re saying, ‘We really don’t want your money; we want you, because we care about you.'”
Meanwhile, council member Katie Van Zeeland said she wanted to hear from parents who feel a citation might be the only way to get their children to school.
“We did have an open truancy ordinance before, and things got out of hand,” she said. “It’s our responsibility now to ensure that doesn’t happen again.”
The district doesn’t want to bring back truancy court, but memories still cast a long shadow
Appleton’s truancy enforcement ordinance was abolished in 2019. Those in favor of reinstating that ordinance, such as AASD, have pointed to successes in its ability to get students to attend school. The district has also repeatedly stated that it does not favor bringing back truancy court and would use citations as a last resort if other ways to support and engage absent students don’t work.
Truancy enforcement has a troubled history in Appleton. While Outagamie County’s truancy court was active from 2009 to the end of 2018, some students involved with the court were sentenced to time in shelter care and made to wear ankle monitors.
Opponents of the resolution told the Common Council last spring they don’t want law enforcement used to improve school attendance at all. Instead, they favor addressing the root causes of truancy, such as learning disabilities or economic difficulties.
Rebecca Loroff is a K-12 education reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. Contact her at rloroff@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: AASD plans attendance listening session for August 4 at Appleton Library