3122 Excused and Unexcused Absences

1.  Instruction; or
2.  Any instruction-related activity; or
3.  Any other district or school approved activity that is regulated by an instructional/academic accountability system, such as participation in district-sponsored sports.

1. A student is absent from synchronous online instruction when the student does not log in to the synchronous meeting/class.
2. A student is absent from asynchronous instruction when there is no evidence that the student accessed the planned asynchronous activity.
3. Evidence of student participation in asynchronous activities must occur daily, within a twenty-four-hour time frame of when the participation is planned or expected.

1. Physical health or mental health symptoms, illness, health condition, or medical appointment for the student or person for whom the student is legally responsible. Examples of symptoms, illness, health conditions, or medical appointments include, but are not limited to, medical, counseling, mental health wellness, dental, optometry, pregnancy, and behavioral health treatment (which can include in-patient or out-patient treatment for chemical dependency or mental health);

2. Family emergency including, but not limited to, a death or illness in the family;

3. Religious or cultural purpose including observance of a religious or cultural holiday or participation in religious or cultural instruction;

4. Court, judicial proceeding, court-ordered activity, or jury service;

5. Post-secondary, technical school, or apprenticeship program visitation, or scholarship interview;

6. State-recognized search and rescue activities consistent with RCW 28A.225.055;

7. Absences directly related to the student’s homeless or foster care/dependency status;

8. Absences related to deployment activities of a parent/guardian who is an active duty member consistent with RCW 28A.705.010;

9. Absences due to suspensions, expulsions, or emergency expulsions imposed pursuant to Chapter 392-400 WAC if the student is not receiving educational services and is not enrolled in qualifying "course of study" activities as defined in WAC 392-121-107;

10. Absences due to student safety concerns, including absences related to threats, assaults, or bullying;

11. Absences due to a student's migrant status;

12. An approved activity that is consistent with district policy and is mutually agreed upon by the principal or designee and a parent/guardian or emancipated youth; and

13. Absences due to the student's lack of necessary instructional tools, including internet access or connectivity.

2. In the event of emergency school facility closure due to COVID-19, other communicable disease outbreak, natural disaster, or other event when districts are required to provide synchronous and asynchronous instruction, absences due to the following reasons are excused:

1. Absences related to the student's illness, health condition, or medical appointments due to COVID-19 or other communicable disease;

2. Absences related to caring for a family member who has an illness, health condition, or medical appointment due to COVID-19, other communicable disease, or other emergency health condition related to school facility closures;

3. Absences related to the student's family obligations during regularly scheduled school hours that are temporarily necessary because of school facility closures, until other arrangements can be made; and

4. Absences due to the student's parent's work schedule or other obligations during regularly scheduled school hours, until other arrangements can be made.

1. If an absence is excused, the student will be permitted to make up all missed assignments outside of class under reasonable conditions and time limits established by the appropriate teacher; where reasonable, if a student misses a participation-type class, they can request an alternative assignment that aligns with the learning goals of the activity missed.

2. An excused absence will be verified by a parent/guardian or an adult, emancipated, or appropriately aged student, or school authority responsible for the absence. If attendance is taken electronically, either for a course conducted online or for students physically within the district, an absence will default to unexcused until such time as an excused absence may be verified by a parent/guardian or other responsible adult. If a student is to be released for health care related to family planning or abortion, the student may require that the district keep the information confidential. Students thirteen and older have the right to keep information about drug, alcohol, or mental health treatment confidential. Students fourteen and older have the same confidentiality rights regarding HIV and sexually transmitted diseases.

3. Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, in the event that a child in elementary school is required to attend school under RCW 28A.225.010 or 28A.225.015(1) and has five or more excused absences in a single month during the current school year, or ten or more excused absences in the current school year, the school district shall schedule a conference or conferences with the parent/guardian and child at a time reasonably convenient for all persons included for the purpose of identifying the barriers to the child's regular attendance, and the supports and resources that may be made available to the family so that the child is able to regularly attend school. To satisfy the requirements of this section, the conference must include at least one school district employee such as a nurse, counselor, social worker, teacher, or community human services provider, except in those instances regarding the attendance of a child who has an individualized education program or a plan developed under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, in which case the reconvening of the team that created the program or plan is required.

1. Any absence from school for the majority of hours or periods in an average school day is unexcused unless it meets one of the criteria above or is included an administrative procedure for an excused absence.

2. A student’s grade may be affected if a graded activity or assignment occurs during the period of time when the student is absent and that absence is not excused.

3. The school will 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 during the current school year. The notification will include the potential consequences of additional unexcused absences. The school will make reasonable efforts to provide this information in a language the parent/guardian understands.

4. The school will hold a conference with the parent/guardian after three unexcused absences within any month during the current school year. The conference will analyze the causes of the student’s absences and develop a plan that identifies student, school, and family commitments to reduce the student's absences from school. If the parent/guardian does not attend the conference, the school official may still hold the conference with the student. However, the school will notify the parent/guardian of the steps the district has decided to take to eliminate or reduce the student’s absences.

5. Between the student’s second and seventh unexcused absence, the school must take the following data-informed steps:

   1. Middle and high school students will be administered the Washington Assessment of the Risks and Needs of Students (WARNS) or other assessment.

   2. These steps must include, where appropriate, providing an available approved best practice or research-based intervention, or both, consistent with the WARNS profile or other assessment, if an assessment was applied, adjusting the child's school program or school or course assignment, providing more individualized or remedial instruction, providing appropriate vocational courses or work experience, referring the child to a community engagement board, requiring the child to attend an alternative school or program, or assisting the parent/guardian or child to obtain supplementary services that might eliminate or ameliorate the cause or causes for the absence from school.

   3. For any child with an existing individualized education plan or 504 plan, these steps must include the convening of the child's individualized education plan or 504 plan team, including a behavior specialist or mental health specialist where appropriate, to consider the reasons for the absences. If necessary, and if consent from the parent/guardian is given, a functional behavior assessment to explore the function of the absence behavior shall be conducted and a detailed behavior plan completed. Time should be allowed for the behavior plan to be initiated and data tracked to determine progress.

Not later than the student’s seventh unexcused absence in a month, the district will enter into an agreement with the student and parents/guardians that establishes school attendance requirements, refer the student to a community engagement board, or file a petition and affidavit with the juvenile court alleging a violation of RCW 28A.225.010.

6. If such action is not successful, the district will file a petition and affidavit with the juvenile court alleging a violation of RCW 28A.225.010 by the parent/guardian, student, or parent/guardian and student no earlier than the seventh unexcused absence within any month during the current school year and not later than the fifteenth unexcused absence during the current school year.

1. Students shall not be absent if:

   1. They have been suspended, expelled, or emergency removed pursuant to Chapter 392-400 WAC;

   2. They are receiving educational services as required by RCW 28A.600.015 and Chapter 392-400 WAC; and

   3. The student is enrolled in qualifying "course of study" activities as defined in WAC 392-121-107. Course of study activities do not include sending homework packets home.

2. A full day absence is when a student is absent for fifty percent or more of their scheduled day.

3. A school or district shall not convert or combine tardies into absences that contribute to a truancy petition.

A student shall be considered absent if they are on school grounds but not in their assigned setting.

1. Monitoring daily attendance data for all students who are absent, whether the absence is excused or unexcused;

2. A process to contact families and verify current contact information for each enrolled student that includes multiple attempts and modalities in the parent's home language;

3. Universal supports for all students and tiered interventions for students at-risk of and experiencing chronic absence. These differentiated supports include school and district attendance or engagement teams, connections to community resources, and community engagement boards; and

4. A process for outreach and reengagement for students who have been withdrawn due to nonattendance and there is no evidence that the student is enrolled elsewhere. This outreach and reengagement process must include:

   1. A school and/or district point person/people to maintain the list, keep it updated, and coordinate the outreach;

   2. School or district staff assigned to conduct the outreach and attempts at reengagement in coordination with community partners or other programs;

   3. Multiple methods of communication and outreach in a language or mode of communication that the parent understands including phone calls, texts, letters, and home visits;

   4. Referral to community-based organizations;

   5. Documentation of the attempts to reach student and family; and

   6. Following the required steps to address unexcused absences in chapter 28A.225 RCW, including early communication to parents, holding parent conferences and administering a truancy screener to understand the underlying reasons for the absences, and providing evidence-based or best practice interventions, even if the student has been withdrawn due to nonattendance.