School Attendance Review Board Handbook

California compulsory education law (California Education Code [EC] Section 48200 ) requires everyone between the ages of six and eighteen years of age to attend school, except sixteen and seventeen year-olds who have graduated from high school or passed the California Proficiency Program. Some students, however, violate compulsory education laws and have a pattern of unexcused absences.

Although truancy and excessive absenteeism are not new problems, they cause costly, long-term problems for the students, school, and the community.

In 1974, the Legislature enacted EC Section 48320 to enhance the enforcement of compulsory education laws and to divert students with school attendance or behavior problems from the juvenile justice system until all available resources have been exhausted. EC Section 48321 provides several organizational structures for SARBs at the local and county level to create a safety net for students with persistent attendance or behavior problems. Although the goal of SARBs is to keep students in school and provide them with a meaningful educational experience, SARBs do have the power, when necessary, to refer students and their parents or guardians to court.

This handbook presents effective practices, guidance and practical tools to provide support to individuals engaged in district and county efforts to improve student attendance, behavior, and learning.

Foundation of the SARB Process
Effective leadership creates the vision for high expectations, community partnerships, quality resources, and caring relationships. This section underscores the goal of an effective SARB, which is to provide the support students need to succeed in school. It also offers definitions of key attendance terms.

Prevention: The Best Solution
One of the most important aspects of a SARB is its potential to promote early intervention to build a culture of attendance throughout a school. Prevention efforts increase average daily attendance and the percentage of students attending school at least 95 percent of the time, reducing costs associated with referrals to SARB meetings.

Early Identification
Early identification of students experiencing poor school attendance and/or school behavior problems is crucial to dropout prevention. Establishing an automated system for early identification is essential to ensure that no student is overlooked.

School Site Prevention and Intervention Strategies
The SARB process includes site-level interventions that students and families recognize as supportive rather than punitive or judgmental. These interventions help the students and families select services and resources to address school attendance and/or behavior problems.

SARB Procedures
Accurate and current school attendance and/or student behavior data drive the procedures of a SARB. Data analysis leads to appropriate referrals to SARB and provides the foundation for establishing long-range goals for improving school attendance and graduation rates. Effective case management, including student/family monitoring and follow-up after SARB, is required to ensure that SARB directives have been followed.

Mediation Programs
These programs work in collaboration with the legal community to enforce the compulsory education law. The panel must include a law enforcement representative who participates in SARB decisions, policies, and practices.

Enforcement of Compulsory Education Laws
The SARB’s challenge is to identify students who have attendance problems and link the students and their families to all appropriate school and community resources. Effective SARBs collaborate with law enforcement, the judicial system, and the schools to enforce compulsory education laws if SARB directives are continually and willfully disregarded.

School Attendance Review Board Frequently Asked Questions
Answers are provided to many questions often asked by school officials and SARB members.

Community Resources
Many resources are available in California to assist local or county SARBs, students, and families.

California Statutes and Regulations
Regulations from the state’s Education Code, Government Code, Welfare and Institutions Code, Vehicle Code, Labor Code, and Family Code are frequently used by SARBs to ensure compliance with California’s compulsory education laws. Although it is sometimes necessary for the SARB to direct the school district to make and file criminal complaints, SARBs should first attempt to build adequate bridges between school and family.

Sample Forms
SARBs use a variety of forms, letters, and other documents to seek involvement and collaboration of families to ensure the success of all children.