OLYMPIA… A bill introduced by Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, to help school districts address chronic absenteeism has been approved by the Senate Early Learning and K-12 Education Committee and now awaits consideration by the full Senate.
Senate Bill 5007 is aimed at supporting students at risk of falling behind academically due to excessive absences.
In September 2024, KUOW radio reported Washington remains among the worst states for chronic absenteeism, with roughly 30% of students missing more than 10% of the school year—approximately three weeks. While that figure reflects some improvement over the prior year, it remains twice the pre-pandemic level and higher than the national average of one in four students.
“This is a straightforward issue,” said Braun. “Students who don’t attend school regularly struggle to keep up, and that puts them at a disadvantage. Some families face challenges that make regular attendance difficult, and schools need more support to help address those barriers. This bill provides tools to parents and educators to help get students back in the classroom.”
Braun noted that chronic absenteeism is linked to lower graduation rates and long-term economic and health challenges.
“If we can do more to prevent those outcomes, we should,” he said. “I appreciate the committee’s support and hope the full Senate will consider the bill soon.”
Subject to available funding, SB 5007 would require each of Washington’s nine educational service districts to develop training and coaching programs for school staff focused on reducing absenteeism. It would also expand the Building Bridges Program to include chronically absent students, offering grants to community-based organizations, tribes, and community and technical colleges to support intervention efforts.
The Building Bridges Program is a local partnership of schools, families and communities that provides:
- A means of identifying students at risk of dropping out
- Coaches or mentors to provide support
- Staff to coordinate the community partners so there is a continuum of academic and nonacademic resources
- Retrieval/reentry activities
- Alternative educational programming