Title 28A — Title 28A COMMON SCHOOL PROVISIONS

(1) Each school within a school district shall inform the students and the parents of the students enrolled in the school about: The benefits of regular school attendance; the potential effects of excessive absenteeism, whether excused or unexcused, on academic achievement, and g…

The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall develop and publish best practice guidance to eliminate or reduce student absences and to otherwise implement the requirements of this chapter. The guidance must focus on student and family engagement, be based in resto…

(1) All parents in this state of any child eight years of age and under eighteen years of age shall cause such child to attend the public school of the district in which the child resides and such child shall have the responsibility to and therefore shall attend for the full time…

(1) If a parent enrolls a child who is six or seven years of age in a public school, the child is required to attend and that parent has the responsibility to ensure the child attends for the full time that school is in session. An exception shall be made to this requirement for …

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, in the event that a child in elementary school is required to attend school under RCW 28A.225.010 or 28A.225.015(1) and has five or more excused absences in a single month during the current school year, or ten or more exc…

(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 s…

(1) A school district representative or school employee shall review unexpected or excessive absences with students who are the subject of a dependency proceeding and adults involved with the students, to include the students' caseworkers, educational liaisons, attorneys if appoi…

(1) For purposes of this chapter, "community engagement 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. Community engagement…

(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 …

(1) By requiring an initial stay of truancy petitions for diversion to community engagement boards, the legislature intends to achieve the following outcomes:(a) Increased access to community engagement boards and other truancy early intervention programs for parents and children…

(1) Subject to funds appropriated for this purpose, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall allocate to community engagement boards grant funds that may be used to supplement existing funds in order to pay for training for board members or the provision of se…

(1) If a child under the age of seventeen is required to attend school under RCW 28A.225.010 and if the actions taken by a school district under RCW 28A.225.020 are not successful in substantially reducing an enrolled student's absences from public school, after the child's seven…

The authority of a court to issue an order for testing to determine whether the child has consumed or used alcohol or controlled substances applies to all persons subject to a petition under RCW 28A.225.030 regardless of whether the petition was filed before July 27, 1997.[ 1997 …

(1) A petition for a civil action under RCW 28A.225.030 or 28A.225.015 shall consist of a written notification to the court alleging that:(a) The child has unexcused absences as described in RCW 28A.225.030(1) during the current school year;(b) Actions taken by the school distric…

The legislature finds that state-recognized search and rescue activities, as defined in chapter 38.52 RCW and the rules interpreting the chapter, are recognized as activities deserving of excuse from school. Therefore, the legislature strongly encourages that excused absences be …

Any school district official, sheriff, deputy sheriff, marshal, police officer, or any other officer authorized to make arrests, may take into custody without a warrant a child who is required under the provisions of RCW 28A.225.010 through 28A.225.140 to attend school and is abs…

Except as otherwise provided in this code, no child under the age of fifteen years shall be employed for any purpose by any person, company or corporation, in this state during the hours which the public schools of the district in which such child resides are in session, unless t…

(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 spa…

In any judicial district having a court commissioner, the court commissioner shall have the power, authority, and jurisdiction, concurrent with a juvenile court judge, to hear all cases under RCW 28A.225.030, 28A.225.090, and 28A.225.035 and to enter judgment and make orders with…

Notwithstanding the provisions of RCW 10.82.070, fifty percent of all fines except as otherwise provided in RCW 28A.225.010 through 28A.225.140 shall be applied to the support of the public schools in the school district where such offense was committed: PROVIDED, That all fees, …

No officer performing any duty under any of the provisions of RCW 28A.225.010 through 28A.225.140, or under the provisions of any rules that may be passed in pursuance hereof, shall in any wise become liable for any costs that may accrue in the performance of any duty prescribed …

(1) As required under subsection (2) of this section, the office of superintendent of public instruction shall collect and school districts shall submit student-level truancy data in order to allow a better understanding of actions taken under RCW 28A.225.030. The office shall pr…

Any compliance reporting requirements as a result of laws in this chapter that apply to second-class districts may be submitted in accordance with RCW 28A.330.250.[ 2011 c 45 s 15.]Notes:Conflict with federal requirements—2011 c 45: See note following RCW 28A.330.250.

(1) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section and otherwise provided by law, it is the general policy of the state that the common schools shall be open to the admission of all persons who are five years of age and less than 21 years residing in that school district, a…

(1) Any child who is of school age and otherwise eligible residing within the boundaries of any military, naval, lighthouse, or other United States reservation, national park, or national forest or residing upon rented or leased undeeded lands within any Indian reservation within…

(1) A local district may be authorized by the educational service district superintendent to transport and educate its pupils in other districts for one year, either by payment of a compensation agreed upon by such school districts, or under other terms mutually satisfactory to t…

Every school district shall admit on a tuition free basis: (1) All persons of school age who reside within this state, and do not reside within another school district carrying the grades for which they are eligible to enroll: PROVIDED, That nothing in this subsection shall be co…

(1) A school district shall not require proof of residency or any other information regarding an address for any child who is eligible by reason of age for the services of the school district if the child does not have a legal residence.(2) A school district shall enroll a child …

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 2534-S.SL) ***(1)(a) A child of a military family complies with the residency requirements for enrollment in a school district if a parent of the child is transferred to, or is pending transfer to, a military installation within the state while on acti…

(1) A student shall be permitted to remain enrolled in the school in which the student was enrolled while residing with the custodial parent if the student:(a) Meets the definition of a child of a military family in transition under Article II of RCW 28A.705.010; and(b) Is placed…

(1) Any board of directors may make agreements with adults choosing to attend school, and may charge the adults reasonable tuition.(2) A district is strongly encouraged to honor the request of a parent or guardian for his or her child to attend a school in another district or the…

(1) Except for students who reside out-of-state and students under RCW 28A.225.217, a district shall accept applications from nonresident students who are the children of full-time certificated and classified school employees, and those children shall be permitted to enroll:(a) A…

(1) The decision of a school district within which a student under the age of twenty-one years resides or of a school district within which such a student under the age of twenty-one years was last enrolled and is considered to be a resident for attendance purposes by operation o…

(1) If a student under the age of twenty-one years is allowed to enroll in any common school outside the school district within which the student resides or a school district of which the student is considered to be a resident for attendance purposes by operation of law, the stud…

(1) The state superintendent of public instruction is directed and authorized to develop and adopt rules governing cooperative programs between and among school districts and educational service districts that the superintendent deems necessary to assure:(a) Correct calculation o…

If the laws of another state permit its school districts to extend similar privileges to pupils resident in this state, the board of directors of any school district contiguous to a school district in such other state may make agreements with the officers of the school district o…

(1) Each school district in the state shall adopt and implement a policy allowing intradistrict enrollment options no later than June 30, 1990. Each district shall establish its own policy establishing standards on how the intradistrict enrollment options will be implemented.(2) …

Eligibility of transfer students under RCW 28A.225.220 and 28A.225.225 for participation in extracurricular activities shall be subject to rules adopted by the Washington interscholastic activities association.[ 2006 c 263 s 903; 1990 1st ex.s. c 9 s 206.]Notes:Findings—Purpose—P…

(1) The superintendent of public instruction shall prepare and annually distribute an information booklet outlining parents' and guardians' enrollment options for their children.(2) Before the 1991-92 school year, the booklet shall be distributed to all school districts by the of…

Each school district board of directors annually shall inform parents of the district's intradistrict and interdistrict enrollment options and parental involvement opportunities. Information on intradistrict enrollment options and interdistrict acceptance policies shall be provid…

Any school district board of directors may make arrangements with the board of directors of other districts for children to attend the school district of choice. Nothing under RCW 28A.225.220 and 28A.225.225 is intended to adversely affect agreements between school districts in e…

(1) When enrolling a student who has attended school in another school district, the school enrolling the student may request the parent and the student to briefly indicate in writing whether or not the student has:(a) Any history of placement in special educational programs;(b) …

(1)(a) The protocols required by RCW 74.13.560 for making best interest determinations for students who are the subject of a dependency proceeding pursuant to chapter 13.34 RCW must comply with the provisions of this section.(b) The requirements of this section, and the developme…

School districts must collaborate with the department of children, youth, and families as provided in RCW 74.13.560.[ 2018 c 139 s 1.]Notes:Effective date—2018 c 139: See note following RCW 28A.225.350.

(1) If any student is subject to a civil protection order, the school district and school building staff will make adjustments to the student's schedule and other modifications to the student's school environment to support compliance with court orders and maintain the student's …

The office of the superintendent of public instruction shall adopt a rule that requires public schools to accept birth certificates, passports, and alternative documents to show a child's age or date of birth for the purposes of enrollment. Alternative documents include, but are …

The superintendent of public instruction may adopt rules necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter.[ 2021 c 119 s 3.]Notes:Effective date—2021 c 119 ss 1-6: See note following RCW 28A.225.007.Findings—Intent—2021 c 119: See note following RCW 28A.225.007.