Washington Administrative Code

(1) Authority to administer classroom and instructional or activity area exclusions. Discretionary discipline leading to a classroom exclusion as determined by the school district's written procedures per RCW 28A.600.010 must give the highest consideration to the judgment of qual…

School boards must ensure they have a policy that determines when a teacher or other school personnel shall report a classroom exclusion to a principal, principal designee, and parent. School district policies under this section must ensure:(1) The teacher communicates and collab…

A school district may administer suspensions and expulsions for behavioral violations, subject to the following requirements:(1) Parent involvement. A school district must:(a) Provide for early involvement of parents in efforts to support students in meeting behavioral expectatio…

(1) Length of exclusion. A school district may not administer a short-term or in-school suspension beyond the school year in which the behavioral violation occurred.(2) Grade-level limitations.(a) A school district may not administer a short-term or in-school suspension for a stu…

(1) Limitations on long-term suspensions and expulsions. A school district may only administer a long-term suspension or expulsion:(a) For behavioral violations under RCW 28A.600.015 (6)(a) through (d); and(b) After the school district has determined that, if the student returned…

(1) Initial hearing. Before administering any suspension or expulsion, the principal or designee must conduct an informal initial hearing with the student for the purpose of hearing the student's perspective. At the initial hearing, the principal or designee must provide the stud…

(1) Initial notice. Before administering any suspension or expulsion, a school district must attempt to notify the student's parents, as soon as reasonably possible, regarding the behavioral violation.(2) Written notice. No later than one school business day following the initial…

(1) Requesting a conference. If the student or parents disagree with the school district's decision to suspend or expel the student, the student or parents may request an informal conference with the principal or designee to resolve the disagreement. The request for an informal c…

(1) Requesting an appeal. A student or the parents may appeal a suspension or expulsion to the school district superintendent or designee orally or in writing.(2) Time limit. A school district may establish a time limit to appeal a suspension or expulsion. Appeal time limits must…

(1) Requesting review. The student or parents may request that the school board or discipline appeal council, if established under WAC 392-400-475, review and reconsider the school district's appeal decision under WAC 392-400-465. The student or parents may request the review ora…

A school board may designate a discipline appeal council to hear and decide appeals under WAC 392-400-465 or to review and reconsider the district's appeal decisions under WAC 392-400-470. A discipline appeal council must consist of at least three persons appointed by the school …

(1) Petition. When risk to public health or safety warrants extending a student's expulsion, the principal or designee may petition the school district superintendent or designee for authorization to exceed the academic term limitation on an expulsion. The petition must inform th…

A school district may immediately remove a student from the student's current school placement, subject to the following requirements:(1) Sufficient cause. The school district must have sufficient cause to believe that the student's presence poses:(a) An immediate and continuing …

(1) Initial notice. After an emergency removal, the school district must attempt to notify the student's parents, as soon as reasonably possible, regarding the reason the district believes the student's presence poses an immediate and continuing danger to other students or school…

(1) Requesting a conference. If a student or the parents disagree with the school district's decision to administer an emergency removal, the student or parents may request an informal conference with the principal or designee to resolve the disagreement. The request for an infor…

(1) Requesting an appeal. A student or the parents may appeal an emergency removal to the school district superintendent or designee orally or in writing.(2) Time limit. A school district may establish a time limit to appeal an emergency removal. Appeal time limits must be no les…

(1) Requesting review. The student or parents may request that the school board or discipline appeal council, if established under WAC 392-400-475, review and reconsider the school district's appeal decision under WAC 392-400-525. The student or parents may request the review ora…

(1) Educational services.(a) A school district may not suspend the provision of educational services to a student in response to behavioral violations.(b) During the suspension, expulsion, or emergency removal of a student, a school district must provide the student the opportuni…

(1) Reengagement meeting. When a school district administers a long-term suspension or expulsion, the district must convene a reengagement meeting with the student and parents to discuss a plan to reengage the student. Before convening a reengagement meeting, a school district mu…

When administering discipline under this chapter, the school district must not:(1) Unlawfully discriminate against a student on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, dis…

In accordance with RCW 28A.600.460, a school district may preclude a student from returning to the student's regular educational setting following the end date of a suspension or expulsion for the purpose of protecting victims of certain offenses, as follows:(1) Teacher victim. A…

(1) General. A school district may enter into behavior agreements with students and parents in response to behavioral violations, including agreements to reduce the length of a suspension conditioned on the participation in treatment services, agreements in lieu of suspension or …

As provided under RCW 28A.600.420:(1) A school district must expel a student for no less than one year if the district has determined that the student has carried or possessed a firearm on school premises, school-provided transportation, or areas of facilities while being used ex…

(1) Corporal punishment. A school district may not administer corporal punishment, including any act that willfully inflicts or willfully causes the infliction of physical pain on a student. Corporal punishment does not include:(a) The use of reasonable physical force by a school…

A school district may not administer any discipline in a manner that would result in the denial or delay of a nutritionally adequate meal to the student.[Statutory Authority: RCW 28A.600.015, 28A.600.020 and 28A.600.010 through 28A.600.022, 28A.320.211. WSR 18-16-081, § 392-400-8…

The purpose of this chapter is to:(1) Define student absence for school districts in order to support accurate and consistent attendance data collection across the state; and(2) Establish the minimum criteria of a multitiered system of support for attendance that each school dist…

The authority for this chapter is RCW 28A.300.046, which requires the superintendent of public instruction to adopt rules establishing a standard definition of student absence from school. Additional authority for this chapter is in chapter 28A.225 RCW, which requires the superin…

(1) This chapter applies to common school districts, charter public schools, and state-tribal education compact schools.(2) This chapter does not apply to students enrolled in an alternative learning experience and claimed for state funding pursuant to WAC 392-121-182.[Statutory …

(1) "Asynchronous instruction" means instruction prepared by a certificated teacher that occurs away from the physical school setting without two-way interactive communication.(2) "In-person instruction" is when instructional activity is planned and delivered under the supervisio…

A student is absent from in-person instruction when the student is:(1) Not physically present on school grounds; and(2) Not participating in the following activities at an approved location:(a) Instruction; or(b) Any instruction-related activity; or(c) Any other district or schoo…

(1) A student is absent from synchronous online instruction when the student does not log in to the synchronous meeting/class.(2) A student is absent from asynchronous instruction when there is no evidence that the student accessed the planned asynchronous activity.(3) Evidence o…

School districts must take daily attendance for all enrolled students whether the instructional modality is in-person, synchronous or asynchronous.When instruction is synchronous online or asynchronous, secondary schools must take attendance daily in each course with planned inst…

(1) Absences due to the following reasons must be excused:(a) Physical health or mental health symptoms, illness, health condition or medical appointment for the student or person for whom the student is legally responsible. Examples of symptoms, illness, health conditions, or me…

Any absence from school is unexcused unless it meets one of the criteria provided in WAC 392-401-020.[Statutory Authority: RCW 28A.300.046. WSR 18-11-011, § 392-401-030, filed 5/3/18, effective 8/1/18.]

School districts must report student absences to the office of superintendent of public instruction through the comprehensive education data and research system (CEDARS) as provided in the CEDARS data manual.[Statutory Authority: RCW 28A.300.046 and 2021 c 119 § 3. WSR 21-17-088,…

(1) Students shall not be considered absent if:(a) The student has been suspended, expelled, or emergency removed pursuant to chapter 392-400 WAC;(b) Are receiving educational services as required by RCW 28A.600.015 and chapter 392-400 WAC; and(c) The student is enrolled in quali…

(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…

The authority for this chapter is RCW 28A.300.285, which provides that the superintendent of public instruction shall adopt rules regarding school districts' communication of a model harassment, intimidation, and bullying policy and procedure to parents, students, employees, and …

The purpose of this chapter is to establish the requirements school districts must meet when communicating the district's harassment, intimidation, and bullying policy and procedure to parents, students, employees, and volunteers.[Statutory Authority: RCW 28A.300.285. WSR 19-19-0…

(1) A school district's harassment, intimidation and bullying policy and procedure must be published and made available to all parents or guardians, students, employees, and volunteers on an annual basis.(2) A school district must publish, at a minimum, the following materials:(a…

(1) The general authority for this chapter is RCW 28A.230.020 which authorizes the superintendent of public instruction to prepare an outline of study for the common schools and to adopt rules to meet the educational needs of students. Where applicable, specific statutory authori…

Pursuant to WAC 180-51-035, high school students shall be entitled to incorporate into their graduation requirements the provisions of this chapter as written and effective for the applicable year. Amendments to this chapter shall apply prospectively to the school year which comm…

(1) Pursuant to RCW 28A.230.020 all school districts shall provide instruction in reading, penmanship, spelling, mathematics, geography, English grammar, physiology, hygiene, and history of the United States.(2) Pursuant to RCW 28A.230.030, unless instruction in a language other …

(1) Grades 1-6. A one-semester course—i.e., 90 (50 minute) hours of instruction—or its equivalent in Washington state history and government shall be required in the common schools in grades one through six combined, but not at each grade level.(2) Grades 7-12. A one-semester cou…

(1) Grades 1-8. Pursuant to RCW 28A.230.040, an average of at least one hundred instructional minutes per week per year in physical education shall be required of all pupils in the common schools in the grade school program (grades 1-8) unless waived pursuant to RCW 28A.230.040.(…

The fitness requirement shall be met by course work in fitness education. The content of courses shall be determined locally pursuant to WAC 180-51-025. Students may be excused from physical education pursuant to RCW 28A.230.050. Such excused students shall be required to substit…

(1) Local option. The decision as to whether or not a program about sexual health education is to be introduced into the common schools is a matter for determination at the district level by the local school board, the duly elected representatives of the people of the community.(…