Nicolet High School

All schools in Wisconsin are required to follow compulsory attendance laws. However, during the 2020-21 school year, “attendance” will not be defined as being physically present in the school building as it traditionally has been.

Attendance: Student attendance will be determined by whether or not the student is where they are supposed to be at the scheduled time. “Where” can be physically in the school building or in a remote location engaging in online learning at the scheduled time. Teachers will take attendance hourly in Zoom while in a remote setting.

Absences

Under s.118.15 (3), exceptions to compulsory attendance include any child excused in writing by his or her parent or guardian before the absence. Nicolet’s policy for excusing absences is as follows: Parents/guardians should notify the school in advance of their student’s anticipated school absence(s). However, parent/guardian notifications must be made within two (2) school days. Please make note of the following to ensure your child’s absence is excused in a timely manner.

• Parents and students should check attendance regularly by simply logging on to their Skyward Family Access account.
• To excuse any absence, the school must receive one of the following stating the reason for the absence (see list of excusable reasons below).
  • a phone call to the attendance hotline: 414-351-8282
  • an e-mail to attendance@nicolet.us
  • a written, signed, note from parent
  • a fax to 414-351-7526

Note for Parents/Guardians:

Parents/guardians need to notify the attendance office whenever a student is not going to be present in their assigned location for the day(s). When calling in a student absent, there can be a number of scenarios to consider due to COVID-19 when calling in for your child:

Scenario #1: Remote
Your child is not able to participate in their remote classes for all or part of a day for any reason (illness, appointment, vacation, etc.).

Parent/Guardian will contact attendance as outline above and explain the reason why all or part of a day will be missed. Medical documentation can be scanned and emailed to the attendance email listed above. Remote absences should be treated the same as regular, in-person absences.

Scenario #2: Blended
Your child is experiencing some COVID-19 symptoms and they are scheduled to attend school at Nicolet. You make the correct choice by keeping them home. However, they are well enough to engage in online learning in a remote location and you make the choice as the parent/guardian to have them work from home.

Parent/Guardian will will contact attendance as outlined above and explain that your child is home because they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms and that they will be engaging in online learning in a remote location. The result is that your child will be marked present for classes, if they engage in online learning in the remote location at the designated time.

Scenario #3: Blended

Your child is in quarantine/isolation based on the recommendation of the health department or other health official. They are healthy and able to engage in online learning from a remote location.

1. Parent/Guardian will contact attendance as outlined above and explain that your child is in quarantine/isolation and will be engaging in online learning in a remote location. The result is that your child will be marked present for classes, if they engage in online learning in the remote location at the designated time.
2. If your child is in quarantine/isolation and they become ill, have an appointment, or need to miss class for any reason, you will need to call or email the attendance office and explain that your child will not be engaging in online learning in a remote location.

Scenario #4: Blended

Your child is too ill to come to school or participate in online learning from a remote location for an extended period of time. The absence may be due to a COVID-19 diagnosis or other illness.

1. Parent/Guardian will contact attendance as outlined above and explain that your child is ill and will not be attending school and will not be participating in online learning in a remote location. You will then follow up that communication with documentation from a physician or testing facility. If you are unable to provide documentation, please ask to speak with an administrator. Your child will be medically excused.
2. You should also contact your child’s counselor and/or assigned Associate Principal to assist in academic remediation and support upon return to school after a prolonged absence.