Welcome to the web page for the Truancy Office of Seattle Public Schools.

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Students do not learn when they are absent from school. They miss critical instruction for understanding key concepts and fall behind quickly in completing assignments. Good school attendance often correlates positively to good academic achievement.

Students who are truant from school often drop out of school later. Dropping out limits students' future alternatives, both in getting a higher education and getting a job.

Coming to school every day, being on time, and completing daily school assignments are all job-related skills. Students who learn to be regular in their school attendance and complete their schoolwork on time are more prepared to be regular in their work attendance and more able to complete their work duties as adults.

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It is the policy of the Seattle School Board that consistent attendance is essential to the Seattle Public Schools mission of academic achievement for every student in every school. Truant students miss critical instruction in key concepts, quickly fall behind in school, and are less likely to achieve academic success. Accordingly, school attendance is mandatory, and unexcused absences and truancy are prohibited within Seattle Public Schools. To combat unexcused absences and truancy, all Seattle Public Schools are dedicated to providing racially, culturally, and age appropriate interventions. Furthermore, all Seattle Public Schools are dedicated to increasing the meaningful involvement of parents in all aspects of their students' lives, including the reduction of truancy.

Seattle Public Schools believes that school-based interventions allow schools to tailor interventions to specific students, and allow parents to become directly involved in their student's school life. Additionally, centrally based interventions are an important supplement to school-based interventions. Generally, judicial action will be the final intervention utilized.  ---Board Policy H10.00

See the menu at the left for a link to Board-adopted attendance procedures.

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RCW 28.255 states that parents/guardians are required to have their school-age children enrolled in an educational program and to take steps to insure regular daily school attendance.

Students between the ages of 8 and under 18, as well as 6- and 7-year-olds who are enrolled in a public school program, must attend school, unless they:

• Are incapable of attending school due to medical or mental reasons.
• Are at least 16-years old and are regularly employed, and have the permission of a parent/guardian to work in lieu of attending school.
• Have met the educational requirements (GED, or other means found acceptable to the Superintendent).

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Schools are required to:

• Take daily attendance and notify parents/guardians after the first and second unexcused absence.
• Schedule a conference to meet with the student and parent/guardian to address truant behavior after 2 or more unexcused absences.
• Take steps to correct the problem in an effort to determine why your child is not attending school and to help develop a plan to insure your child's regular attendance.
• File a truancy petition with the Superior Court if the child has 7 truant days in a calendar month, or 10 truant days during the school year.

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• When your child is excused absent from school?

  Parents/guardians must notify your child's school about your child's excused absence within two days of any absence. You may make this notification by telephone or in a written note. You must include the reason why your child is absent in your telephone call or note.

• When your child does not go to school (is truant)?

  Parents or guardians who fail to comply with the Compulsory Attendance law may also be subject to a truancy petition filed with Superior Court. Parents may be fined up to $25.00 per day for each day of their child's unexcused absences. Additional sanctions imposed by the Court might include community service.

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Unplanned Absences
When your child's personal illness or injury, or the illness, injury or death of a family member, prevents your child from attending school, and you notify the school within 48 hours of the absence. The school may require a note from your child's doctor if your child is absent due to illness or injury for an excessive number of days before excusing those absences.

Planned Absences
When you submit a request to the principal or assistant principal at least three school days before the start of the planned absence, usually for a doctor or dentist appointment, religious holiday, or other special one-time event. The school may require your child to complete missed assignments and/or make other academic assignment for extended planned absences. Family vacations of any duration may not be considered excused absences. The school principal has the final say on whether your family's vacation will be excused.

Absences due to short-term discipline of your child are excused on District attendance records.

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All other absences are considered unexcused, including absences caused by the student or parent oversleeping, student missing the bus, transportation problems, student needed for babysitting, student job requirements, religious instruction, etc.

Absences by long-term suspended and expelled students for whom space is available in a reentry program, but who do not enroll and attend, are unexcused.

Any absence, whether planned or unplanned, will remain unexcused when the parent does not provide either a telephoned or written excuse within a reasonable time after the date of the absence. However, a parent's request to "excuse my child's absence" without a stated reason or with a reason that does not meet the criteria for excused absences will result in the child's absence remaining unexcused.

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A student is considered to be truant if he/she is absent without a valid excuse for more than half of a school day.

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The Compulsory Attendance law requires that the school district file petitions with the Juvenile Court for all students who have seven (7) or more unexcused absences in a month or ten (10) or more unexcused absences in a school year. The petition asks that the court compel the child to attend school.

If a petition has been filed, the court may set a date and time for a hearing and require that you and your child attend. The court may, in certain circumstances, request that you and your child attend a Truancy Workshop (class) prior to a court hearing. The court may also require additional interventions prior to scheduling a hearing.

Once a court hearing occurs and a court order is issued to a child and/or parent/guardian, the District is required to report additional unexcused absences to the court. The court may hold a hearing to determine if you or your child has willfully violated the court's order to attend school. If this occurs, your child will be appointed an attorney to represent him/her at any hearing dealing with a violation of the court's order.

The court may take whatever steps are necessary to insure regular school attendance by the child. These steps may include, but are not limited to, issuing a court order, ordering community service, ordering a child to get treatment or counseling, such as for drug/alcohol abuse, or combining the truancy petition with an At Risk Youth petition.

The key to any/all court action hinges on your child's attendance. In order for the school to assist you with addressing the truant behavior, your assistance is necessary. When your child's school contacts you about your child's unexcused absences, please allow staff to assist you in improving your child's attendance. They are a team dedicated to the needs of your child's educational success.

Please reply to any school notification in a prompt manner. Students in secondary education programs may lose credit in their classes after as few as 10 absences, whether excused or unexcused. By prompt intervention when the school notifies you about absences from class, you will support your child's educational success.

If you have questions about your child's attendance record, or are in need of a report on your child's educational progress, please call your child's school.

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