Truancy
Washington State law, commonly referred to as the Becca Bill, requires children from age 8 to 18 to attend a public school, private school, or to receive home-based instruction. The law established a venue for school districts to compel youth to attend school by requiring school districts to file petitions with the juvenile court. The Legislature passed House Bill 2449, which became effective June 9, 2016 and House Bill 1170, which became effective on July 23, 2017 that reformed the Becca Bill. House Bill 2449 and House Bill 1170 directs school districts to focus on engaging youth and families in order to discover the underlying causes of truant behavior and to work collaboratively with them to develop internal motivation to graduate from school with a partnership with the community and juvenile courts.
Resources
- Attendance Works
- Memorandum of Understanding Template (PDF)
- Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) – Attendance, Chronic absenteeism and Truancy
- RCWs Pertaining to Compulsory School Attendance and Admission
- Snohomish County Truancy Blueprint
- Truancy Intervention Project
- Truancy Process Prior to Court (PDF)
Legal Forms
- Change of School District (DOC)
- Community Truancy Board Agreement and Documents (DOC)
- Community Truancy Board Return of Case (DOC)
- Coversheet (DOC)
- Directions to Denney
- Finding and Order on Truancy Petition (DOC)
- Motion and Declaration to Serve by Mail (DOC)
- Motion and Order to Dismiss Truancy Proceeding (DOC)
- Motion to Assume Jurisdiction and Order (DOC)
- Motion to Set Show Cause (DOC)
- Note to Strike Calendar (DOC)
- Order Allowing Service by Mail (DOC)
- Order Continuing Hearing (DOC)
- Order Lifting Stay and Scheduling Hearing (DOC)
- Order on Contempt (DOC)
- Order to Set Fees-Fines
- Order to Set Show Cause Hearing
- Order to Stay Proceedings and Referral
- Physical Description for Bench Warrant
- Return of Service
- Truancy Action Request Form
- Truancy Petition
- Truancy Progress Report
- Truancy second tier warrant notification (DOC)
- Truancy Warrant Quash Order
- Youth Enrichment Services Referral