Los Angeles Unified School District Pupil Services SARB Orientation for Interns Presented by: Garyn Valdemar, LCSW Stephanie Lartelier, MSW SARB Chairs-

Los Angeles Unified School DistrictPupil Services

SARB Orientation for Interns

Presented by:Garyn Valdemar, LCSW

Stephanie Lartelier, MSWSARB Chairs- ESC West

November 13, 2013

Agenda

• Introductions• Education Code, Truancy and Notifications• Tiered Interventions• Resources and Referrals• Intensive Case Management• SARB Overview****Break***• Mock SARB Panel• Debrief• Evaluations

What are Possible reasons why students do NOT attend school ?

Education CodeTruancy Definitions

Truancy Notifications

EC 48200: Compulsory Full-Time Education

Each person between the ages of 6 and 18 years …shall attend the public full-time day school or continuation school or classes for the full time designated as the length of the school day…in the school district….of the residency of either parent or guardian is located and each parent…shall send the pupil…for the full time designated…..

EC 48202Excused AbsencesWhat is an “excused absence” ?

– Due to illness– Due to Quarantine– For the purpose of having medical, dental, optometric, or chiropractic

services rendered– Funeral services: One day in California; 3 days outside California– Jury Duty– Illness or medical appointment of a child of whom the pupil is the

custodial parent– Justifiable personal reasons: appearance in court, observance of a

religious holiday, religious retreats, education conference and prior approval by the principal or designee

– C.C.R Title 5, Sec 420 – same as above.– CCR – California Code of Regulations

Pop Quiz1. Is kindergarten attendance mandatory ?

2. Parent called- upset that their 4th grade GATE student received a truancy letter when the family went to Thailand to accompany dad for a movie shoot. Parent upset that the school is classifying their 4th grader as a “truant”. Is parent complaint justified?

3. Second grade student had so far 27 absences and parent said it is due to “asthma”. You checked with the nurse and there is no medical note indicating student has asthma nor is there an inhaler at school. Are these absences excused?

Truancy EC Section 48260

A pupil…absent from school without valid excuse three full days in one school year or tardy or absent for more than any 30-minute period during the school day without a valid excuse on three occasions in one school year or any combination thereof, shall be reported…as a truant.

EC 48260.5 - Parent Notification

• Upon a pupil’s initial classification as a truant, the school district shall notify the pupil’s parent or guardian, by first class mail or other reasonable means, of the following:– That the pupil is truant– That the parent or guardian is obligated to compel the attendance of

the pupil at school– That the parent or guardians who fail to meet this obligation maybe

guilty of an infraction and subject to prosecution– That alternative education programs are available in the district– That the parent or guardian has the right to meet with the appropriate

school personnel to discuss solutions to the pupil’s truancy– That the pupil may be subject to prosecution under section 48264– That the pupil may be subject to suspension, restriction, or delay of

the pupil’s driving privilege

EC 48261

“Any pupil who has once been reported as a truant and who is again absent from school without valid excuse one or more days, or tardy on one or more

days, shall be reported as a truant to the attendance supervisor or the superintendent of the district.”

Second Truancy Letter – Request for Parent Conference

When should Truancy Letter #2 be sent?

Should be sent after:– The parent/guardian has received the Initial Truancy Letter – The parent/guardian has been given a reasonable

opportunity to respond – Student has one or more additional unexcused absences,

tardies in excess of 30 minutes after the Initial Notification of Truancy was sent (minimum is 4 unexcused absences)

EC 48262

Any pupil is deemed an habitual truant who has been reported as a truant three or more times per school year, provided that no pupil shall be deemed an habitual truant unless an appropriate district officer or employee has made a conscientious effort to hold at least one conference with a parent or guardian of the pupil and the pupil himself, after the filing of either of the reports required by Section 48260 or Section 48261.

For the purposes of this section, a conscientious effort means attempting to communicate with the parents of the pupil at least once using the most cost-effective method possible, which may include electronic mail or a telephone call.

Third Truancy Letter – Habitual Truant Reclassification

When should Truancy Letter #3 be sent?

Should be sent after:– The parent/guardian has received the 1st and 2nd Truancy Letters – The parent/guardian has been given the opportunity to attend a

parent conference– Student accumulates one or more additional unexcused

absences, tardies in excess of 30 minutes after the second truancy letter was sent (minimum 5 unexcused absences)

Resources and

Referrals

Community Resource Referral Form

Use when referring families to outside agencies• Template is available in SARB Intervention Guide• States that LAUSD assumes no responsibility for the

services provided or fees charged, retain a copy of the form for your records

• Agencies must be non-profit unless student has private insurance

• Provide at least 3 referrals for each type of service from your School Resource Guide and Community

Resource Referral List

•

Community Resource List

• What types of services are included in your Community Resource List?

• How did you find these resources?

Intensive Case

Management

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Intensive Case Management – Steps

• Includes individual interventions (conferences, home visit, SART, SARB, etc.)

• Identify students with attendance problems• Maintain list of target students• Document all contacts (telephone, mail,

conferences, etc.) in the ISIS call log and/or Record of Contacts form

• Issue all required absence notifications• Maintain protocol for Pupil Records BUL–2469.0 (ie:

Access, Confidentiality, Notice of Educational Rights , etc.)

Role Play Activity

1) Pick a partner2) Take turns playing role of PSA and Parent3) 5 minutes for each conversationScenario #1: Conference with parent of a 3rd grader who has missed 4 consecutive days and has not contacted the school.Scenario #2: Conference with a parent of a High School Freshman that has missed 13 of 30 days so far this school year.

ResourcePanel

Resource Panel

• What are the two PRIMARY functions of Resource Panel?1. Case consultation for difficult cases2. Case presentation for SARB Referral

• Resource Panel Composition:– SARB Chairperson/s– PSA Administrator– PSA, School or District Staff (IEP Nurse, etc.)

Resource Panel Preparation:Know Your Student

What should you know about your student/family when presenting a case to Resource Panel?

RESOURCE PANEL PREPARATION

• Notify SARB Chairperson to be added to Resource Panel calendar

• Complete all required forms (see Resource Panel/SARB Document Checklist)

• Bring original forms along with 1 copy (single-sided 8½” x 11” paper, unstapled) to Resource Panel

CASE PRESENTATION TO RESOURCE PANEL

• Present and discuss the case• Panel determines if additional interventions

and/or referrals are warranted• A letter may be mailed by the SARB Chair

informing parent that a Resource Panel has been held

• SARB Chair will schedule case for a hearing when and if case is ready and appropriate

Accessing the SARB Intervention Guide

Accessing the

SARB Intervention

Guide!

RP/SARB Referral Checklist

School Attendance Review Board

(SARB)

School Attendance Review Board

• Established by CA legislature in 1975.

• Purpose is to enhance the enforcement of compulsory education laws.

• Diverts students with school attendance or behavior problems from the juvenile justice system until all available resources have been exhausted.

Purpose of SARB

• Enforce CA Education Code Section 48200: Children between the ages 6 & 18 must attend school regularly.

• Truancy is a complex problem: it involves the student, family, and community as a whole.

• SARB is a strategy that utilizes school & community resources to help the student improve his/her attendance and deal with barriers to school attendance and graduate.

Multi-Agency SARB

Representatives may include:• LA County Dept. of Children & Family Services • LA County Dept. of Public Social Services• LA County Dept. of Probation• Law Enforcement (DA, CA & Police)

• Community Agencies• School District Professionals

(i.e., Pupil Services, Mental Health, Nursing, Psych Services, Special Education)

Role & Responsibilities of the School

• Take accurate attendance.• Exhaust school interventions & document

the case management process.• Prepare and present cases to Resource Panel

and SARB. • Monitor, support, and refer student and

parents post-SARB as required.

Case Referrals

Recommended student age is 6-16 years: • with chronic attendance issues.• who have recently started to miss school and

would benefit from the SARB process.• who are most likely to attend school regularly

following the SARB hearing.

Health Issues

• With appropriate accomodations, students with medical diagnoses (e.g., asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, etc.) can and should attend school on a regular basis.

• Accommodations may be made per doctor’s recommendations (e.g., certain treatments, medication, physical activity, etc.).

• Safety is always top priority.

Students with IEPs

• Students with IEPs are subject to the SARB process when they do not comply with compulsory education laws.

• With appropriate accommodations, most disabilities should not prevent a child from attending school on a regular basis.

• Ensure Special Education Students Current IEP Appropriate placement as determined by their IEP Chronic absenteeism is not related to disability

Cases not appropriate for SARB:

• Student is currently on formal probation. • Student is in foster care or group home.• IEP is out of compliance.• Disability is the cause of the absenteeism. • Confer with SARB chair for students 17-18

years of age.

Special Education Students

Can these students be referred to SARB ?

Role of SARB Chairperson

• Strategically develop, maintain and conduct Resource and SARB Panels.• Provide training and support to schools and

SARB panel members.• Forward and track cases as they progress from

Resource Panel to mediation and court.• Prepare and submit annual reports to LACOE.• Presides over SARB hearing, issues contract to

the family.

Task of SARB Panel Members

• Seek to understand why students are experiencing attendance/behavior problems.

• Find solutions to unresolved student attendance & discipline problems.

• Assist SARB Chair with direct questioning of family.

SARB Myths

• SARB is court• SARB is a punitive measure• SARB will magically solve the problem• Referring school/staff member is no longer

responsible for the case after SARB

Tone of SARB Hearings

• SARB Chairs set the tone for each hearing.• Parents are our partners and we need to be

sensitive to the struggles faced by our students and their families.

• SARB’s take a formal, serious, problem-solving & positive tone.

• Belittling, berating and threatening parents or students will not be tolerated.

• SARB panel members will be reminded at each meeting to be respectful at all times.

Confidentiality

• Information obtained during the performance of duties as a SARB panel member must remain confidential (CA Ed Code, Sec. 49076).

• Families appearing before the SARB entrust sensitive information to the board.

• All documents presented to the panel will be used for the purpose of finding solutions.

• All case documents/packets will be collected and destroyed.

• Mandated child abuse reporting is applicable.

Confidentiality Forms

• All panel members must sign a confidentiality form each school year before their first SARB hearing.

• A confidentiality statement is on the SARB Hearing sign-in sheet.

Review of Records

• SARB case packets for each case will be distributed to the panel at the beginning of each hearing for review.

• Documents provide panel members with a comprehensive summary of the student’s education history.

Packet Documents

• Case Anecdotal Summary with interventions & school & community referrals

• Attendance summary• Grade summary• Other pertinent documentsNote: All packets will be collected at the end of the SARB hearing.

SARB Hearing(prior to family entering hearing)

SARB Chair’s Opening statement to panel (5 min.) a. Sign inb. Announcements c. Confidentiality, tone & time management remindersd. Review of records

School representative presents case (5 min.)e. Summary of absencesf. Presenting problem(s)g. Pending referrals/interventionsh. Family strengths & areas needing improvement

SARB Hearing Family present

Meeting w/ Family ( 20-30 min.)a. Family enters the meeting room.b. Introduction of panel & family.c. Parent is asked to explain and elaborate on school

absences and why lack of compliance of the law and the SART contract.

d. Panel proceeds to analysis of barriers and strengths, using solution focused problem solving.

e. Resolution phase: recommendations and implementation strategies for school services & outside resources (e.g., community agencies)

SARB Hearing Family present, cont.

Finalizing Contract and Meeting: 5-10 minutesd. SARB Contract phase: review of contract,

directives, referrals and signing.e. Consequences of failing to meet the terms of

the SARB contract are explained.f. 30-Day Follow up Meeting Notice is given to

the parent. g. Hearing is adjourned and the family is

dismissed.

Activity: Mock SARB Hearing

• Assignment of Roles• Hearing• Discussion and Debrief

Post-SARB

• School continues to monitor student/family progress (attendance & compliance w/ SARB directives).

• School continues providing the student/family with support and assistance in complying with the SARB directives.

• PSA/School staff holds a 30-day follow-up meeting with the parent to evaluate progress.

If Attendance Problems are not Resolved after SARB

• Case is referred to District Attorney for mediation when: - student is at fault (incorrigible).

- parent is at fault (contributing to the delinquency of a minor), and lives outside the City of LA.

- if both are at fault.• Case is referred to the City Attorney for mediation when:

-parent resides in the City of Los Angeles and is at fault (contributing to the delinquency of a minor).

• Case is referred to Court.

Final Points to Consider

• We are the advocates for these children.• However – we also have to enforce the law.• Is this a conflict in your belief as a school

social worker?

Intern Participation on SARB Panels

Prior to Participation in SARB, Interns Must: • Complete this mandatory SARB training• Complete 75 hours of internship• Attend a Resource Panel• Be registered and scheduled centrally for SARB • Plan accordingly: first come – first serve basis• Do not wait until the end of the school year

Interns (continued)

• Interns are limited to one SARB hearing unless they are directly involved in other cases.

• Interns are not permitted to counsel or question families at a SARB hearing.

• Additional information can be found in the guide, Interns and the SARB process, or you may contact your SARB Chair.