Tenino School District -

TerriAnn Schiferl
District Truancy Liaison
Phone: (360) 264-3500
Email

Washington Attendance Law

A state law in Washington, called the “Becca Bill,” requires all children between ages 8 and 18 to attend school regularly. The law requires parents or legal guardians to make sure their children are in school regularly. Students can be in public school, private school or homeschool

Attendance, Chronic Absenteeism, and Truancy

Attendance is a critical building block for student learning. If students are not present, they cannot engage in learning. Attendance is a powerful signal and leading indicator of equity.  It can signal when students might need additional support and areas for system and school improvement. Chronic absenteeism impacts all students—no matter their age. Students that miss just two days a month for any reason are more likely to not read at grade level, and more likely to not graduate.

Excused and Unexcused Absences
Policy 3122; 3122P

Absences due to the following reasons must be excused: 

• Illness, health condition, or medical appointment for the student or person for whom the student is legally responsible; 

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

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

• Absence directly related to the student's homeless or foster care/dependency status; 

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

• Absences due to a student's migrant status 

For a complete list of excused absences visit: Attendance and Truancy | Washington State Governor's Office of the Education Ombuds 

A school principal or designee has the authority to determine if an absence meets the above criteria for an excused absence. Districts may define additional categories or criteria for excused absences.

Whether excused or unexcused, the number of days your student misses can greatly impact their academic success. Strive for regular attendance. Regular attendance means having, on average, less than two absences per month. An absence is defined as missing 50% or more of their scheduled day. 

• Missing 10 percent (or about 18 days) increases the chance that your student will not read or master math at the same level as their peers.  

• Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two days every few weeks. 

• By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.    

• By 9th grade, regular and high attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores. 

• Absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with schoolwork, dealing with a bully or facing some other potentially serious difficulty. 

• Unexcused absences are an early warning sign for unaddressed problems with school and future dropout.