AN ACT Relating to court-based and school-based efforts to promote attendance and reduce truancy; amending RCW 28A.225.020, 28A.225.025, 28A.225.026, and 28A.225.090; and repealing RCW 28A.225.115.

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

Sec. 1.  RCW 28A.225.020 and 2016 c 205 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:

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

(a) Inform the child's parent 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. If the parent is not fluent in English, the school must make reasonable efforts to provide this information in a language in which the parent is fluent;

(b) Schedule a conference or conferences with the parent 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 data-informed steps to eliminate or reduce the child's absences. These steps shall include application of an assessment tool such as the Washington assessment of the risks and needs of students (WARNS) by a school district's designee under RCW 28A.225.026((, and)) no later than the fifth unexcused absence in a month or tenth unexcused absence in a year. Where appropriate, ((providing)) the district's designee shall provide an available approved best practice or research-based intervention, or both, consistent with the ((WARNS profile)) assessment tool, 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.

(3) If a child transfers from one school district to another during the school year, the receiving school or school district shall include the unexcused absences accumulated at the previous school or from the previous school district for purposes of this section, RCW 28A.225.030, and 28A.225.015. The sending school district shall provide this information to the receiving school, together with a copy of any previous assessment as required under subsection (1)(c) of this section, history of any best practices or researched-based intervention previously provided to the child by the child's sending school district, and a copy of the most recent truancy information including any online or written acknowledgment by the parent and child, as provided for in RCW 28A.225.005.

Sec. 2.  RCW 28A.225.025 and 2016 c 205 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) For purposes of this chapter, "community truancy board" means a board established pursuant to a memorandum of understanding between a juvenile court and a school district and composed of members of the local community in which the child attends school. ((All members of a)) Community truancy boards must include members who receive training regarding the identification of barriers to school attendance, the use of the Washington assessment of the risks and needs of students (WARNS) or other assessment tools to identify the specific needs of individual children, culturally responsive interactions, trauma-informed approaches to discipline, evidence-based treatments that have been found effective in supporting at-risk youth and their families, and the specific services and treatment available in the particular school, court, community, and elsewhere. Duties of a community truancy board shall include, but not be limited to: Identifying barriers to school attendance, recommending methods for improving attendance such as connecting students and their families with community services, culturally appropriate promising practices, and evidence-based services such as functional family therapy, multisystemic therapy, and aggression replacement training, suggesting to the school district that the child enroll in another school, an alternative education program, an education center, a skill center, a dropout prevention program, or another public or private educational program, or recommending to the juvenile court that a juvenile be referred to a HOPE center or crisis residential center.

(2) The legislature finds that utilization of community truancy boards is the preferred means of intervention when preliminary methods to eliminate or reduce unexcused absences as required by RCW 28A.225.020 have not been effective in securing the child's attendance at school. The legislature intends to encourage and support the development and expansion of community truancy boards. Operation of a school truancy board does not excuse a district from the obligation of filing a petition within the requirements of RCW 28A.225.015(3).

Sec. 3.  RCW 28A.225.026 and 2016 c 205 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) By the beginning of the 2017-18 school year, juvenile courts must establish, through a memorandum of understanding with each school district within their respective counties, a coordinated and collaborative approach to address truancy through the establishment of a community truancy board or, with respect to certain small districts, through other means as provided in subsection (3) of this section.

(2) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, each school district must enter into a memorandum of understanding with the juvenile court in the county in which it is located with respect to the operation of a community truancy board. A community truancy board may be operated by a juvenile court, a school district, or a collaboration between both entities, so long as the agreement is memorialized in a memorandum of understanding. For a school district that is located in more than one county, the memorandum of understanding shall be with the juvenile court in the county that acts as the school district's treasurer.

(3) A school district with fewer than two hundred students must enter into a memorandum of understanding with the juvenile court in the county in which it is located with respect to: (a) The operation of a community truancy board; or (b) addressing truancy through other coordinated means of intervention aimed at identifying barriers to school attendance, and connecting students and their families with community services, culturally appropriate promising practices, and evidence-based services such as functional family therapy, multisystemic therapy, and aggression replacement training. School districts with fewer than two hundred students may work cooperatively with other school districts or the school district's educational service district to ensure access to a community truancy board or to provide other coordinated means of intervention.

(4) All school districts must designate, and identify to the local juvenile court and to the office of the superintendent of public instruction, a person or persons to coordinate school district efforts to address excessive absenteeism and truancy, including tasks associated with: Outreach and conferences pursuant to RCW 28A.225.018; entering into a memorandum of understanding with the juvenile court; establishing protocols and procedures with the court; coordinating trainings; sharing evidence-based and culturally appropriate promising practices; identifying a person within every school to serve as a contact with respect to excessive absenteeism and truancy; and assisting in the recruitment of community truancy board members.

(5) As has been demonstrated by school districts and county juvenile courts around the state that have worked together and led the way with community truancy boards, success has resulted from involving the entire community and leveraging existing dollars from a variety of sources, including public and private, local and state, and court, school, and community. In emulating this coordinated and collaborative approach statewide pursuant to local memoranda of understanding, courts and school districts are encouraged to create strong community-wide partnerships and to leverage existing dollars and resources.

Sec. 4.  RCW 28A.225.090 and 2016 c 205 s 9 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) A court may order a child subject to a petition under RCW 28A.225.035 to do one or more of the following:

(a) Attend the child's current school, and set forth minimum attendance requirements, which shall not consider a suspension day as an unexcused absence;

(b) If there is space available and the program can provide educational services appropriate for the child, order the child to attend another public school, an alternative education program, center, a skill center, dropout prevention program, or another public educational program;

(c) Attend a private nonsectarian school or program including an education center. Before ordering a child to attend an approved or certified private nonsectarian school or program, the court shall: (i) Consider the public and private programs available; (ii) find that placement is in the best interest of the child; and (iii) find that the private school or program is willing to accept the child and will not charge any fees in addition to those established by contract with the student's school district. If the court orders the child to enroll in a private school or program, the child's school district shall contract with the school or program to provide educational services for the child. The school district shall not be required to contract for a weekly rate that exceeds the state general apportionment dollars calculated on a weekly basis generated by the child and received by the district. A school district shall not be required to enter into a contract that is longer than the remainder of the school year. A school district shall not be required to enter into or continue a contract if the child is no longer enrolled in the district;

(d) Submit to a substance abuse assessment if the court finds on the record that such assessment is appropriate to the circumstances and behavior of the child and will facilitate the child's compliance with the mandatory attendance law and, if any assessment, including a urinalysis test ordered under this subsection indicates the use of controlled substances or alcohol, order the minor to abstain from the unlawful consumption of controlled substances or alcohol and adhere to the recommendations of the substance abuse assessment at no expense to the school; or

(e) Submit to a mental health evaluation or other diagnostic evaluation and adhere to the recommendations of the drug assessment, at no expense to the school, if the court finds on the court records that such evaluation is appropriate to the circumstances and behavior of the child, and will facilitate the child's compliance with the mandatory attendance law((; or

(f) Submit to a temporary placement in a crisis residential center or a HOPE center if the court determines there is an immediate health and safety concern, or a family conflict with the need for mediation)).

(2) If the child fails to comply with the court order, the court may order the child to be subject to detention, as provided in RCW 7.21.030(2)(e), or may impose alternatives to detention such as: Temporary placement in a crisis residential center or a HOPE center, if the court determines there is an immediate health and safety concern, or a family conflict with the need for mediation; or community restitution. Failure by a child to comply with an order issued under this subsection shall not be subject to detention for a period greater than that permitted pursuant to a civil contempt proceeding against a child under chapter 13.32A RCW. Detention ordered under this subsection may be for no longer than seven days. Detention ordered under this subsection shall preferably be served at a secure crisis residential center close to the child's home rather than in a juvenile detention facility. A warrant of arrest for a child under this subsection may not be served on a child inside of school during school hours in a location where other students are present.

(3) Any parent violating any of the provisions of either RCW 28A.225.010, 28A.225.015, or 28A.225.080 shall be fined not more than twenty-five dollars for each day of unexcused absence from school. The court shall remit fifty percent of the fine collected under this section to the child's school district. It shall be a defense for a parent charged with violating RCW 28A.225.010 to show that he or she exercised reasonable diligence in attempting to cause a child in his or her custody to attend school or that the child's school did not perform its duties as required in RCW 28A.225.020. The court may order the parent to provide community restitution instead of imposing a fine. Any fine imposed pursuant to this section may be suspended upon the condition that a parent charged with violating RCW 28A.225.010 shall participate with the school and the child in a supervised plan for the child's attendance at school or upon condition that the parent attend a conference or conferences scheduled by a school for the purpose of analyzing the causes of a child's absence.

(4) If a child continues to be truant after entering into a court-approved order with the truancy board under RCW 28A.225.035, the juvenile court shall find the child in contempt, and the court may order the child to be subject to detention, as provided in RCW 7.21.030(2)(e), or may impose alternatives to detention such as meaningful community restitution. Failure by a child to comply with an order issued under this subsection may not subject a child to detention for a period greater than that permitted under a civil contempt proceeding against a child under chapter 13.32A RCW.

(5) Subsections (1), (2), and (4) of this section shall not apply to a six or seven year old child required to attend public school under RCW 28A.225.015.

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