Federal Way
Public Schools
Truancy and Becca
In Washington State, there exists a law known as the Becca Bill. It requires all scholars between the ages of 8 to 18 to attend school full-time & every day. The law also outlines valid reasons for excused absence along with other requirements for schools, parents & guardians, which can be found here.
We received a truancy petition - what do we do?
Why: State law requires school districts to file a petition with the Juvenile Court if a scholar has 7 unexcused absences in any month or 15 absences within the school year.
What happens next: There are steps that have to be taken to help the scholar improve their attendance before a hearing in court.
Step 1: Call your scholar's school and schedule a meeting to talk about barriers that may be affecting your scholar's attendance.
Step 2: You will be contacted by Unleash the Brilliance. Unleash the Brilliance is a re-engagement community organization that supports scholars going through the Becca process.
Step 3: If attendance improves you may not have to attend court. We understand that attending court can be stressful. The Becca process gives time for scholars to improve attendance before an official court date is set.
Step 4: You will be contacted by the district liaison if a court date is established or if the petition is dismissed.
Please note these steps can change based on the severity of the Becca case.
Learn more at the Washington State Ombuds.