Outagamie County judges won’t be involved in the Appleton school district’s truancy court system anymore.
The district received a letter today from Eighth District Chief Judge James Morrison of Marinette County explaining the decision. He oversees judges in several counties in the region.
Outagamie County Judge Mark McGinnis had been handling cases.
The district suspended the court for the rest of the year, after concerns from students and parents on how they were treated. A consultant accused McGinnis of bullying students and bringing a negative undertone to the hearings.
Morrison praised McGinnis for his work on the court, calling him a primary reason for its success.
School board president Kay Eggert believes the district will look for the best ways to support students and families in dealing with attendance concerns. She says it will be important to strengthen the district’s existing community partnerships.
Eggert says despite some significant criticism of the program, it has really shown some success. She credits the community partners for helping make that happen.
District administrators are working on how to move forward with the truancy system, and they’re going to present some recommendations to school board members next Thursday.
