SART/SARB/Truancy

School Attendance Review Board (SARB) was first established by the California legislature in 1975 and is a multi-agency collaborative team that:

• Makes a better effort to meet the needs of students with attendance or behavior problems.
• Promotes the use of alternatives to the juvenile court system.

To achieve these goals, the legislation provides for a multi-agency SARB which includes the following agencies: Children and Family Services, Law Enforcement, Parents, Parents and/or other Community Representatives, Community-Based Organizations, Child Welfare and Attendance Personnel, School Guidance Personnel, District Attorney's Office.

SARB process starts with the identification of attendance and/or behavior problems followed by classroom, school site and district level interventions.

SARB is specifically charged with finding solutions to unresolved student attendance and discipline problems by bringing together, on a regular basis, representatives of agencies that make up the board.

SARB further surveys available community resources, determines the appropriateness of their services, and makes recommendations to meet the needs of referred students.

SARB seeks to understand why students are experiencing attendance and behavior problems, and serves as a vehicle to correct those problems.

SART is a School Site Team that includes the parent, student, Principal, Parent Facilitator, and other school staff as needed. The goal of this team is to identify possible solutions to improving the students’ attendance and/or behavior.  At this meeting, all parties will have an opportunity to share and discuss ways to support healthy student engagement and attendance. Everyone will have an assigned role/responsibility to help ensure improved attendance and/or behavior. All resources, support services, and action items will be documented, reviewed, and signed by everyone at the end of the SART meeting. 

Students will be referred to the district’s School Attendance Review Board (SARB) if they do not attend their SART meeting or if the student’s attendance/behavior does not improve after the implementation of the SART attendance contract. 

Education Code Section 48263 – If any minor in any district of a county is habitually truant, or has irregular in attendance at school, as defined in this article, or is habitually insubordinate or disorderly during attendance at school, the pupil may be referred to the School Attendance Review Board.