(1) School districts must implement these minimum requirements of a multitiered system of support for attendance to address barriers to student attendance, provide timely interventions and best practices to reduce chronic absenteeism and truancy.
(2) Multitiered systems of support under this section must include:
(a) Monitoring daily attendance data for all students who are absent, whether the absence is excused or unexcused;
(b) 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;
(c) Differentiated supports that address the barriers to attendance and participation that includes universal supports for all students and tiered interventions for students at-risk of and experiencing chronic absence, including school and district attendance or engagement teams, connecting to community resources, and community engagement boards; and
(d) A process for outreach and reengagement for students who have been withdrawn due to nonattendance and there is no evidence that the student is enrolled elsewhere.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:
(i) A school and/or district point person/people to maintain the list, keep it updated, and coordinate the outreach;
(ii) School or district staff assigned to conduct the outreach and attempts at reengagement in coordination with community partners or other programs;
(iii) 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;
(iv) Referral to community-based organizations;
(v) Documentation of the attempts to reach student and family; and
(vi) Follow 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reasons for the absences, and providing evidence-based or best practice interventions, even if the student has been withdrawn due to nonattendance.
[Statutory Authority: RCW
28A.300.046 and 2021 c 119 § 3. WSR 21-17-088, § 392-401-045, filed 8/13/21, effective 9/13/21.]