Attendance

^{STUDENT ATTENDANCE REVIEW BOARD (SARB)}

^{The BPSD Student Attendance Review Board is comprised of representatives from the following:}

• ^{School District Administration}
• ^{School Site Officials (EX: Principal, Designee, Counselor, Psychologist)}
• ^{Law Enforcement and/or Probation}
• ^{Other community agency partners}

^{SARB meets with student and families who have been identified to be truant or chronically absent.}

^{The purpose of SARB is to collectively discuss and develop solutions to resolve the attendance issues to connect families to available resources, and to create a contract in which all members agree and commit to ensure positive student attendance and overall achievement and success in school.}

^{KEY DEFINITIONS:}

^{Truancy: In California, a student is truant if he/she is absent or tardy by more than 30 minutes without a valid excuse on 3 occasions in a school year.}

^{Habitual Truancy: A student is habitually truant if he/she is absent without a valid excuse for 5 days during a school year.}

^{Chronic Truancy: A student is chronically truant if he/she is absent without a valid excuse for at least 10% of the school year.}

^{Chronic Absence: In California chronic absence is defined as being absent for any reason (unexcused or excused) for at least 10% of the school year.}

^{What is the purpose of SARB?}

^{The purpose of the School Attendance Review Board (SARB) is to build relationships with students and families in order to mitigate the barriers that students face in attending school. SARB is used as a positive intervention to improve graduation rates and reduce dropout rates for students with continuous attendance challenges. During the SARB meeting, comprehensive services and referrals to community agencies can be offered to students and families who need intensive help beyond what the district can provide.} 

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^{The SARB process begins at the school. The school can do the following:}

• ^{Phone calls or letters to the parent}
• ^{Parent meetings with the counselor, teacher, or administrator}
• ^{Attendance contract with the student, school, and parent}
• ^{School Attendance Review Team (SART) meetings}

^{If the student's attendance does not improve after these steps are taken, the student is referred to SARB.}

^{SARB meets monthly, with dates and times to be determined. Our goal is to work with parents and students to re-engage students back in school and to solve attendance problems.}

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^{What happens at the SARB hearing?}

• ^{The school Principal, Assistant Principal or counselor reports on the attendance record.}
• ^{SARB members ask the student and parent to explain why the student is not going to school.}
• ^{SARB members make recommendations to assist the family and student.}

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^{How do you get help from SARB?}

• ^{Call your school and speak to the counselor, Assistant Principal, or Principal for a referral.}

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^{What can SARB recommend for students?}

• ^{Help students re-engage in school with school-connectedness staff and resources}
• ^{Counseling programs for the student and/or family}
• ^{Parenting classes to support parents}
• ^{A student transfer to an alternative school or program}
• ^{Assistance from other agencies and programs (counseling, restorative justice and mental health)} 

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^{Specific laws related to attendance:}

• ^{Education Code, Section 48200. Students between the ages of 6 and 18 must attend school.}
• ^{Education Code, Section 48260. A student is a habitual truant when he/she is absent from school without an excuse three full days in one school year or tardy or absent for more than any 30 minute period during the school day three times.}
• ^{Education Code, Section 48263. Truant students may be referred to SARB.}
• ^{Education Code, Section 48293(a). A parent or guardian may be held responsible if a student does not follow the SARB contract.}