Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

AGO 1996 NO. 1 >

The records of a juvenile court in a truancy case are confidential and not available for public inspection and copying, with the limited exceptions listed in RCW 13.50.010 and 13.50.100.

AGO 1980 NO. 6 >

In the enforcement of the state compulsory school attendance law as amended by chapter 201, Laws of 1979, 1st Ex. Sess., a juvenile court has only the limited jurisdiction (by virtue of § 2 of that act) to impose the non-criminal monetary penalty provided for in RCW 28A.27.100 as amended by § 6 of chapter 201, supra; however, assuming that this fine or penalty has been invoked in a given case and the juvenile in question fails to pay it, that juvenile may then be declared to be in contempt of court, whereupon the court will then have jurisdiction to deal with the child as a "juvenile offender" under the provisions of chapter 13.40 RCW.