SART/SARB

Site Level Intervention

What is SART?

“The School Attendance Review Team (SART) is an interdisciplinary intervention team, including teachers, administrators, and student support personnel (e.g., counselors, psychologists, nurses, and other school-based health center staff).

Any student with frequent absences should be referred to the SART, which is responsible for developing an individualized plan for improving the student’s attendance. SART meetings should engage the student (if age-appropriate),as well as parents or other family members”.

Parent(s) agree to abide by the directions of the School Attendance Review Team (SART) as outlined below:

Cooperate with school officials.
Ensure my (son/daughter)’s compliance with SART directives.
Comply with SART’s assignments of specific parental responsibilities.
Notify the attendance office when my (son/daughter) violates agreement.
Obtain medical notes when my (son/daughter) is absent for more than one day.
Attend classes with my (son/daughter) after next incidence of truancy/misbehavior.
Pick up, or make arrangements to have picked up, my (son/daughter)’s homework if (he/she) will be out of school more than two days.
Bring my (son/daughter) to school daily and on time.
Talk with my (son/daughter) in positive terms about school.
Other

Student agrees to abide by the directions of the School Attendance Review Team (SART) as outlined below:

Attend school regularly and on time each day.
Abide by school rules and regulations.
Obey the directions of my teachers and administrators.
Complete my class assignments.
Develop a positive attitude about school.
Other

Failure to attend SART or abide to agreements will result in a referral to the district School Attendance Review Board (SARB).

District Level Intervention

What is SARB?

School Attendance Review Board (SARB). The mission of the School Attendance Review Board (SARB) is to help students stay in school, attend school regularly and graduate. SARB is a community-based effort to bring together resources to assist families with attendance and truancy issues. The SARB level is the district's last chance to keep students and families out of the court system. SARB’s intervention with each student begins after a completed referral packet has been received from the respective school.

When the school has exhausted all resources and a student's attendance has not improved, then a family may be referred to a SARB hearing.

My child has been scheduled to be brought before our local School Attendance Review Board. What can I expect to happen at the hearing?

The School Attendance Review Board panel members will introduce themselves, and the chairperson will explain the purpose of School Attendance Review Board. The school representative will then present the case and supporting information regarding the child’s attendance or behavior problem. The panel will then ask clarifying questions of the child, family, and/or school representative in order to fully understand the situation. The child, family, and school representative will then be asked to leave the room as the School Attendance Review Board panel deliberates. When a decision is reached, all parties are asked to re-enter the room and the School Attendance Review Board contract is read aloud and signed by all involved.

How does SARB help?

SARB provides a wide variety of services that are designed to meet the needs of students and their families. The ultimate goal is to help students stay in school, attend regularly, and graduate. To that end, SARB:

Collaborates with schools and counselors
Recommends placements
Connects families with agencies for counseling, tutoring, and other services
Works with probation and law enforcement
Reinforces parental legal responsibility for student attendance, as required by the California Education Code
Initiates subpoenas, citations, and petitions to the court

Who is on the SARB panel?

At a SARB hearing, students and their parents will meet with a panel that may consist of a:

SARB Coordinator
School Administrators
School District Health staff
Mental Health staff
District Attorney
Referring school site representative