Child Welfare and Attendance
 Stephanie Johnson, Director
Al Bennett, Coordinator

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.