S-3763.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6268

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1998 Regular Session

By Senators McAuliffe, Hochstatter, Rasmussen, Loveland, Zarelli, Johnson, B. Sheldon, Fairley, Kohl, Thibaudeau, Hargrove, Spanel, Goings, Schow and Winsley

Read first time 01/14/98.  Referred to Committee on Education.

Requiring public schools to take specified steps to eliminate or reduce the absences of children under the age of eight who are enrolled in schools.

    AN ACT Relating to attending school; and amending RCW 28A.225.020.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

    Sec. 1.  RCW 28A.225.020 and 1996 c 134 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) If a child required to attend school under RCW 28A.225.010 or a child under the age of eight who is enrolled in a school fails to attend school without valid justification, the public school in which the child is enrolled shall:

    (a) Inform the child's custodial parent, parents, or guardian by a notice in writing or by telephone whenever the child has failed to attend school after one unexcused absence within any month during the current school year.  School officials shall inform the parent of the potential consequences of additional unexcused absences;

    (b) Schedule a conference or conferences with the custodial parent, parents, or guardian and child at a time reasonably convenient for all persons included for the purpose of analyzing the causes of the child's absences after two unexcused absences within any month during the current school year.  If a regularly scheduled parent-teacher conference day is to take place within thirty days of the second unexcused absence, then the school district may schedule this conference on that day; and

    (c) Take steps to eliminate or reduce the child's absences.  These steps shall include, where appropriate, 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 truancy board, requiring the child to attend an alternative school or program, or assisting the parent or child to obtain supplementary services that might eliminate or ameliorate the cause or causes for the absence from school.  If the child's parent does not attend the scheduled conference, the conference may be conducted with the student and school official.  However, the parent shall be notified of the steps to be taken to eliminate or reduce the child's absence.

    (2) For purposes of this chapter, an "unexcused absence" means that a child:

    (a) Has failed to attend the majority of hours or periods in an average school day or has failed to comply with a more restrictive school district policy; and

    (b) Has failed to meet the school district's policy for excused absences.

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