The Lake Washington School District (LWSD) is seeking 40 community members to serve on two community truancy boards.
The boards are an approach to reducing student absences. One board will cover the Eastlake and Redmond areas. The other will cover the Juanita and Lake Washington areas.
The mission of boards is to improve attendance and school engagement by finding positive solutions to the reasons for each student’s absences. Community truancy boards help families address obstacles that prevent students from attending school.
Washington’s truancy law, often called “the Becca Bill,” is intended to stop absenteeism before it becomes a problem. If a student does not attend school, the law requires the school district to take action. A new law requires community truancy boards as a middle step before formal legal action. Each board will be made up of educators and community members.
Interested volunteers must attend an information session to apply. Here is the schedule of information sessions:
- From 5-7 p.m. on Oct. 27 at Lake Washington High School library (12033 N.E. 80th St. in Kirkland)
- From 5-7 p.m. on Oct. 27 at Eastlake High School library (400 228th Ave. N.E. in Sammamish)
- From 6-8 p.m. on Nov. 1 at Redmond High School library (17272 N.E. 104th St. in Redmond)
- From 5-7 p.m. on Nov. 3 at Juanita High School library (10601 N.E. 132nd St. in Kirkland)
Training sessions will be held in November prior to serving on a board. Volunteers will receive training in identification of barriers to school attendance. They will learn how to assess specific student needs and learn evidence-based treatments that have been found effective in supporting at-risk youth and their families. They will also learn about services available in the community.
The community truancy board sessions will begin in January. Each session will include 4-5 volunteers. Upon selection, volunteers will be asked to participate in at least one board session per month during the school year.
To sign up for an information session, contact Chris Robison at (425) 936-1270 or via email at: crobison@lwsd.org.
