Disposition; truancy and school dropout ordinance violations
Wis. Stat. § 938.342
in effect(1d) Truancy ordinance violations. If the court finds that the person violated a municipal ordinance enacted under s. 118.163 (1m), the court shall enter an order making one or more of the following dispositions if the disposition is authorized by the municipal ordinance:
(a) Order the person to attend school.
(b) Impose 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 parent or guardian of the person, or both.
(c) Order 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. Section 938.34 (5g) applies to any community service work performed by a person under this paragraph.
(1g) Habitual truancy ordinance violations. If the court finds that a person under 18 years of age violated a municipal ordinance enacted under s. 118.163 (2), the court shall enter an order making one or more of the following dispositions if the disposition is authorized by the municipal ordinance:
(a) Suspend the person’s operating privilege, as defined in s. 340.01 (40), for not less than 30 days nor more than one year. The court may take possession of the 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 duration of the suspension.
(b) Order 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 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, community agency, public agency, or nonprofit charitable organization administering a supervised work program or other community service work to which a person is assigned under 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) Order 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) Order the person to attend an educational program under s. 938.34 (7d).
(e) Order the department of workforce development to revoke, under s. 103.72, a permit under s. 103.70 authorizing the employment of the person.
(f) Order the person to be placed in a teen court program if all of the following conditions apply:
1. The chief judge of the judicial administrative district has approved a teen court program established in the person’s county of residence and the court determines that participation in the teen court program will likely benefit the person and the community.
2. The person admits or pleads no contest in open court, in the presence of the person’s parent, guardian, or legal custodian, to the allegations that the person violated the municipal ordinance enacted under s. 118.163 (2).
3. The person has not successfully completed participation in a teen court program during the 2 years before the date of the alleged municipal ordinance violation.
(g) Order the person to attend school.
(h) Impose 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 parent or guardian of the person, or both.
(i) Order the person to comply with any other reasonable conditions that are consistent with this subsection, including a curfew, restrictions as to going to or remaining on specified premises and restrictions on associating with other juveniles or adults.
(j) Place the person under formal or informal supervision, as described in s. 938.34 (2), for up to one year.
(k) Order 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 juvenile is not under immediate adult supervision, for participation in the social, behavioral, academic, community service, and other programming of the center. Section 938.34 (5g) applies to any community service work performed by a person under this paragraph.
(1m) Orders applicable to parents, guardians, and legal custodians.
(a) If the court finds that the person violated a municipal ordinance enacted under s. 118.163 (2), the court may, in addition to or instead of the dispositions under sub. (1g), order 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, if the disposition is authorized by the municipal ordinance.
(am) If the court finds that the person violated a municipal ordinance enacted under s. 118.163 (1m), the court may, as part of the disposition under sub. (1d), order the person’s parent or guardian to pay all or part of a forfeiture plus costs assessed under sub. (1d) (b). If the court finds that the person violated a municipal ordinance enacted under s. 118.163 (2), the court may, as part of the disposition under sub. (1g), order the person’s parent or guardian to pay all or part of the costs of any program ordered under sub. (1g) (b) or to pay all or part of a forfeiture plus costs assessed under sub. (1g) (h).
(b) No order to any parent, guardian, or legal custodian under par. (a) or (am) may be entered until the parent, guardian, or legal custodian is given an opportunity to be heard on the contemplated order of the court. The court shall cause notice of the time, place, and purpose of the hearing to be served on the parent, guardian, or legal custodian personally at least 10 days before the date of the hearing. The procedure in these cases shall, as far as practicable, be the same as in other cases to the court. At the hearing, the parent, guardian, or legal custodian may be represented by counsel and may produce and cross-examine witnesses. A parent, guardian, or legal custodian who fails to comply with any order issued by a court under par. (a) or (am) may be proceeded against for contempt of court.
(1r) School attendance condition. If school attendance is a condition of an order under sub. (1d) or (1g), the order shall specify what constitutes a violation of the condition and shall direct the school board of the school district or the governing body of the private school in which the person is enrolled, or shall request the governing body of the tribal school in which the person is enrolled, to notify the court or, if the person is under the supervision of an agency under sub. (1g) (j), the agency that is responsible for supervising the person, within 5 days after any violation of the condition by the person.
(2) School dropout ordinance violation.
(a) Except as provided in par. (b), if the court finds that a person is subject to a municipal ordinance enacted under s. 118.163 (2m) (a), the court shall enter an order suspending the person’s operating privilege, as defined in s. 340.01 (40), until the person attains 18 years of age.
(b) The court may order any of the dispositions specified under sub. (1g) if the court finds that suspension of the person’s operating privilege, as defined in s. 340.01 (40), until the person attains 18 years of age would cause an undue hardship to the person or the person’s family.
Source: WI Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/938.342Fetched: 10/7/2026