Health care providers providing excused absences under the compulsory school attendance law, the official text

2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-6115/1
MED:cdc

2025 SENATE BILL 920
February 2, 2026 - Introduced by Senator Cabral-Guevara, cosponsored by Representative Dittrich. Referred to Committee on Health.

An Act to amend 118.15 (3) (a) of the statutes; relating to: health care providers providing excused absences under the compulsory school attendance law.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Generally, the compulsory school attendance law requires persons with children between the ages of six and 18 years to ensure the children attend school regularly. Under one exception, however, a child may be excused because the child is temporarily not in proper physical or mental condition to attend school if the child can be expected to return to a school program upon termination or abatement of the illness or condition. In that case, the school attendance officer may request that the parent or guardian of the child obtain a written statement from one of several types of health care providers, including physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice registered nurses, registered nurses who satisfy certain criteria, and others.
This bill removes registered nurses as one of the types of health care providers that can provide a written statement excusing a child from school. The bill retains advanced practiced registered nurses and the other health care providers as health care providers that may sign such a statement.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

Section 1. 118.15 (3) (a) of the statutes, as affected by 2025 Wisconsin Act 17, is amended to read:
118.15 (3) (a) Any child who is excused by the school board because the child is temporarily not in proper physical or mental condition to attend a school program but who can be expected to return to a school program upon termination or abatement of the illness or condition. The school attendance officer may request the parent or guardian of the child to obtain a written statement from a licensed physician, naturopathic doctor, dentist, chiropractor, optometrist, psychologist, physician assistant, or advanced practice registered nurse, or registered nurse described under s. 255.06 (1) (f) 1. or Christian Science practitioner living and residing in this state, who is listed in the Christian Science Journal, as sufficient proof of the physical or mental condition of the child. An excuse under this paragraph shall be in writing and shall state the time period for which it is valid, not to exceed 30 days.
Section 2. Effective date.
(1) This act takes effect on September 1, 2026.
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