Washington Courts: Press Release Detail

20 years after Becca: New study examines what we’ve learned, where we are in helping truant youth

Olympia, WA – The number of truancy filings in Washington have increased dramatically; only about one third of chronically truant students in a school year receive truancy petitions; more than 60 percent of high school students who do receive truancy petitions drop out without receiving a diploma, GED or other academic credentials.

These are among the findings of a new study by the Washington State Center for Court Research (WSCCR) 20 years after the state Legislature passed the “Becca Laws” in 1995. The Becca Laws were named for Becca Hedman, a chronic runaway who was murdered at the age of 12. The laws were designed to give families, schools, students and courts the ability to jointly address the problems causing truancy, which has serious consequences for students and communities throughout the students’ life.

Since then, school districts and juvenile courts throughout the state have implemented a variety of programs and practices designed to meet the law, and help truant youth and their families. “Twenty years later, it is time to capitalize on these experiences in order to develop effective truancy prevention programs that reach the students they are meant to serve,” according to the study’s Executive Summary.“The truancy petition process represents the letter of Washington’s truancy laws, but ignores their spirit and intent. The intent of the Becca laws is to unite schools, courts, communities and families in an effort to provide the services needed to help students overcome their own personal barriers to school attendance.”

The study, "Truancy in Washington State: Filing Trends, Juvenile Court Responses, and the Educational Outcomes of Petitioned Truant Youth," was authored by Dr. Elizabeth Coker of the University of Washington, Tacoma, and Dr. Carl McCurley of WSCCR, with funding from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The report presents the results of a statewide survey of truancy practices in Washington juvenile courts, as well as analysis of three-year educational and court outcomes for youth with truancy petitions. It also includes evidence-based policy recommendations for improving truancy programs and practices, such as focusing on identifying youth in earlier grades who are beginning to have attendance, disciplinary and academic problems.

According to the report: “Every year, hundreds of thousands of students are chronically truant from schools across the U.S., with more than 40,000 in Washington alone…The tremendous personal and financial cost of truancy to individuals and society has made truancy reduction efforts a priority in Washington and in numerous other states around the country.”

The full report can be found at: http://www.courts.wa.gov/wsccr/docs/WSCCRTruancyUpdate2015.pdf

The Washington State Center for Court Research was established in 2004 by order of the Washington Supreme Court, and serves as the research arm of the Administrative Office of the Courts. Its research is intended to improve understanding of the courts, help guide judicial policy and improve the functioning of the judicial system while serving all participants in the judicial process.

 CONTACT: WSCCR Director Dr. Carl McCurley at Carl.Mccurley@courts.wa.gov .