Compulsory Attendance - 3120P

Parents/guardians of any child eight years of age, and under eighteen years of age, shall cause such child to attend school.  The child shall have the responsibility to attend full-time when school is in session unless:

1. The child is attending an approved private school;
2. The child is receiving home-based instruction as provided in state law;
3. The child is attending an education center as provided in state law;
4. The child has been excused from attendance by the school in accordance with state law and the standards provided below;
5. The child is sixteen years of age or older and:
   1. The child is regularly and lawfully employed and either the parent/guardian agrees that the child shall not be required to attend school or the child is emancipated in accordance with state law;
   2. The child has already met graduation requirements; or
   3. The child has received a certificate of educational competence in accordance with the rules and regulations of the state board of directors.

Although six and seven year olds are not required to be enrolled in school, the truancy law applies if they are enrolled, unless:

1. they are temporarily excused by the school district,
2. the child is formally removed from enrollment before a truancy petition is served to the parents, or
3. the child attends school part-time to receive ancillary services.

Excused and Unexcused Absences

Students are expected to attend all classes each day.   Teachers shall keep an accurate record of absences and tardiness.  Schools shall compile and maintain such records.

1. Excused Absences.  The following are valid excuses for absences and tardiness:
   1. Participation in school-approved activities.  To be excused, a staff member must authorize this absence and the affected teacher(s) must be notified prior to the absence unless it is clearly impossible to do so.
   2. Absence due to requests made by the parent/guardian such as illness, health condition, family emergency, religious purposes, or education opportunities.  To be excused, an absence of this type must be verified as explained below, and must not cause a serious adverse effect on the student's educational process.
      For activities approved by parent/guardian of greater than two days (pre-arranged absences), the adverse effect on the education progress may be minimized by requesting approval for the absence in writing at least three days prior to the absence, requesting make-up work from the student's teachers at least three days in advance, and following established timelines to return the completed work
   3. Absence resulting from disciplinary actions or short-term suspension.  As required by law, students who are removed from a class or classes as a disciplinary measure or students who have been placed on short-term suspension will be required to make-up assignments or tests missed during the time they were denied entry to the classroom if such work has a substantial effect upon the student's semester or trimester grade, or if failure to complete the work would preclude the student from receiving credit for the course.
2. Unexcused Absences
   All absences, which are not authorized by the principal, or excused in the manner provided above, are counted as unexcused. 
3. Tardiness  
   Students arriving late for school or class for any reason not described as an excused absence above will be counted as unexcused tardy.  Secondary students arriving later than one-third of the class shall be counted as absent for the class and not tardy.  Elementary students arriving more than thirty minutes late will be counted absent and not tardy.
4. Verification
   1. Excused absences and tardies must be verified by a parent, guardian, emancipated student or adult student in a manner prescribed by the principal within two school business days of the absence. After five consecutive days of absence due to a health condition, or an accumulation of ten absences during a single semester or trimester due to illness or a health condition, a note of explanation signed by a doctor may be required, unless the absence was pre-arranged.
   2. Even when verification is received, school officials have the discretion to investigate the circumstances surrounding an absence to determine the validity of the excuse and the effect of such absence upon the student's education progress before or after excusing such absence.

Procedures for Promoting Regular School Attendance

1. Communication
   1. The district will provide a copy of the district's attendance procedures to all students through the “Student Rights and Responsibilities” handbook.  Such handbook will be provided to all students at the beginning of the school year and to new students entering later in the school year upon enrollment.
   2. For each class, the teacher will explain the relationship between attendance and other instruction objectives of the particular class. 
2. Tardiness
   Each unexcused tardy will result in discipline (a corrective action other than suspension or expulsion) as determined by school administrators or delegated to teachers.  In addition, after three unexcused tardies, parents/guardians will be contacted in writing or by telephone. 
3. Unexcused Absences
   An absence of any duration (greater than a tardy) shall be addressed with the consequences set forth in section (a) below.  For the purposes of the notice, conference and truancy petition described below, the failure to attend the majority of hours or periods in an average school day shall be counted as one unexcused absence.
   1. Consequence
      (i)         A student whose absence is not excused will not be given the opportunity to receive credit for a graded activity or assignment that is due during the time when the student is absent.

      (ii)    Students will also be responsible for making up time missed in a manner determined by the school.  Examples of such discipline may include, but not be limited to, after-school or recess detention, school or community service hours, or exclusion from an activity conducted by the school other than actual class time.  The length of the discipline assigned shall, whenever reasonably possible, bear an equivalent relationship to the time missed during the unexcused absence. In no instance shall the discipline be an out of school suspension.

   2. Notice
      The school shall notify a student's parent/guardian in writing or by telephone whenever the student has failed to attend school after one unexcused absence within any month in the current school year.  Such notification shall include an explanation of the potential consequences of additional unexcused absences.
   3. Conference
      Not later than the fifth unexcused absence, the school shall schedule a conference with the parent/guardian and student at a time reasonably convenient to all persons involved for the purposes of analyzing the causes of the student's absences and identifying interventions which may be helpful in reducing such absences.  Such interventions may include, where appropriate in the judgment of the school officials:
      • adjusting the student's educational program;
      • providing more individualized or remedial instruction;
      • transferring the student to another school;
      • assisting the student in obtaining supplementary services that might eliminate or ameliorate the causes for absences;
      • imposing discipline that motivates the student to attend school; and
      • making a student a focus of concern for placement in special education or other special program designed for educational success.

      In all cases, the participants in the conference shall enter into a written agreement that establishes school attendance requirements and outlines the interventions identified as appropriate.

      If the parent/guardian does not attend the scheduled conference, the conference may be conducted with the student and the school official.  However, the parent/guardian shall be notified of the steps taken or proposed to reduce the child's absences.

   4. Truancy Petition
      If the interventions identified above are not successful in substantially reducing the student's absences, not later than the seventh unexcused absence in a month, or tenth unexcused absence in the school year, the school shall contact the district official responsible for the truancy to initiate the filing of a petition with the juvenile court alleging a violation of RCW 28A.225.010  by the student, the parent/guardian or both the student and the parent/guardian.
4. Excused Absences
   1. Consequences
      Work assignments, activities, and the attendance/participation portion of the grade missed during an excused absence may be made up in the manner provided by the teacher.
   2. Conference
      After five or more excused absences within any month, or ten or more excused absences within the school year, the school may schedule a conference with the parent and student at a time reasonably convenient to all persons involved for the purposes of analyzing the causes of the student's absences and identifying interventions which may be helpful in reducing such absences, as described above for unexcused absences.

Date:     7/26/06