Lafayette County Circuit Court recognizes there is a strong correlation between truancy, dysfunctional family life, delinquency, and youth engaging in criminal behavior. In conjunction with Juvenile Court Intake, schools, corporation counsel, and the Court, a pre-truancy program was developed and implemented.
Lafayette County Pre-Truancy Program is designed to intervene in a family before the youth meets the statutory criteria for habitual truancy. Schools refer youth to the program when there are at least three unexcused absences from school. The family is asked to come to a meeting to discuss the reasons for the truancy issues, assist the family in creating strategies to get the youth to school, and suggesting services that may be helpful in alleviating the reasons for the truancy.
State truancy statutes mandate children attend school from ages six to 18-years-old. Each school district has attendance policies and these policies must be followed. According to Wisconsin law, a child is habitually truant when he/she has five unexcused absences in a semester.