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Lake County officials work to address school truancy
The mission of the team was to create an attendance and truancy framework of current best practices in prevention, intervention and – if needed – legal protocols to improve school attendance and reduce truancy.
These best practices are arranged in a tiered structure that meets the student and parent/caregiver at their level of need.
Tier 1 includes teaching clear expectations, schools acknowledging good and improved attendance for all students/families; Tier 2 includes individualized interventions for students/families needing extra support; Tier 3 includes support services, case management, possible SARB Hearing, and in the worst case scenario, a referral to the District Attorney’s Office.
“Our goal is to work with school districts and the county office of education to get these kids back into school,” said Lake County District Attorney Don Anderson. “The law requires students attend school regularly. We have a duty to do what we can to ensure a successful future for our students and an education is critical to their success.”
School districts don’t take making a referral to the DA’s office lightly.
The school districts and Lake County Student Attendance Review Board, or SARB – composed of representatives from various youth/family-serving and law enforcement agencies – meet with each family to examine the factors contributing to the student’s truancy.
The panel, with input from the student and family, develops a legally-binding contract that clearly outlines the attendance expectations and identifies available school and community resources to assist the family in overcoming the barriers that led to truancy.
“The Student Attendance Review Board is really the last option the school districts, the county office and families have to improve their student’s attendance before a referral for prosecution is made to the District Attorney’s Office,” said Rob Young, current Lake County Office of Education SARB chair.
In the few cases where families disregard the terms of the contract and attendance does not improve, the county or district level SARBs have the authority to refer the case to the District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
If the family is found guilty, the consequences can be community service, parent education classes, suspension/delay in students getting their driver’s license, and or fines up to $2,000.
“We aren’t in the business of getting families involved in the legal system, actually quite the opposite,” said Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg. “What we want as educators, community members and even future employers is for students to gain the academic and social skills they will need to succeed, now and in their future.”
Falkenberg added, “Reducing absenteeism is a simple, cost-effective strategy for improving academic performance. Starting as early as preschool and kindergarten, chronic absence – missing 10 percent or more school days – during the school year can leave a third grader unable to read proficiently, a sixth grader struggling with coursework, a high schooler off track for graduation, and adults without the skills needed to compete in a 21st century workforce.”
The group thanked numerous individuals for their contribution to the content of the County Attendance and SARB framework.
They included District Attorney Don Anderson and Deputy District Attorney Chanel Crawford; Konocti Unified staffers, Superintendent Donna Becnel, Manager of Student and Family Services Debi Malley and Lower Lake Elementary Principal Tarin Benson; Middletown Unified Superintendent Catherine Stone; Upper Lake Elementary Principal Stephanie Wayment; and Lake County Office of Education staff, Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg and Truancy Officer Jon Dudding.