Student Services

Student Attendance Review Board (SARB)

We know that at times, life can bring extra challenges and that these can impact student’s success in school including attendance.  Your school teams and the district’s SARB team want to partner with students and families to overcome these challenges.

The purpose of the School Attendance Review Board (SARB) process is to give students and their families supports to help identify the issues related to their students' attendance challenges and give appropriate resources and interventions to improve attendance. 

The SARB panel consists of members from the Garden Grove Unified School District as well as outside agencies, including district coordinator from the Office of Student Services, school based mental health practitioner, school site nurse, school site social worker, school site administrator, Orange County Social Services, Boys and Girls Club of Garden Grove Truancy Reduction Center, and Garden Grove Police personnel.

Our comprehensive panel’s goal is to look to identify solutions that are reasonable and effective for the student and family. In the event the parent and/or student is not cooperative, the panel may take action by filing a petition requiring mandated services with the Boys and Girls Club Truancy Mediation Program.  If that is not successful, then the Office of Student Services will submit a petition with the Orange County District Attorney's Office to file charges against either the student and/or the parents.  The student and parents will then be required to attend Juvenile Court to address the ongoing absences.

SARB Process

3 or more unexcused absences
  • Student Classified as a truant
  • SARB Letter 1 mailed home to parent/guardian
  • Parent will be contacted via phone to discuss absences/truancies
4 or more unexcused absences
  • Parent will be contacted via phone to discuss absences/truancies
  • Student classified as a repeat truant
  • SARB Letter 2 mailed home to parent/guardian
  • Parent will be contacted via phone to discuss absences/truancies
  • A “School Attendance Review Team” (SART) meeting will be called to address the attendance challenges and come up with workable solutions.
5 of more unexcused absences
  • SARB Letter 3 mailed home to parent/guardian
  • Parent/guardian conference and or/home call completed
  • Referral to additional services as appropriate (e.g. Truancy Reduction Center)
6-10 unexcused absences
  • SARB Letter 4 mailed home to parent/guardian (Invitation to the District Attorney meeting)
  • Student will be added to the DA sign-in sheet if letter 4 is generated
Continued unexcused absences
  • Student classified as a habitual truant
  • SARB Letter 5 mailed home inviting parent to mandatory SARB Hearing
  • All SARB hearings will be held at the Family Youth Outreach Program offices next to the Garden Grove Police Department

Key Definitions:

Truancy:
In California, a student is truant if he/she is absent or tardy by more than 30 minutes without a valid excuse on 3 occasions in a school year.
Habitual Truancy:
A student is habitually truant if he/she is absent without a valid excuse for 5 days during a school year.
Chronic Truancy:
A student is chronically truant if he/she is absent without a valid excuse for at least 10% of the school year.
Chronic Absence:
In California chronic absence is defined as being absent of for any reason (unexcused or excused) for at least 10% of the school year.

SARB Hearing Dates

SARB Hearings for the 2024-2025 school year will ALL be held at the Juvenile Justice Center: 11301 Acacia Pkwy, Garden Grove, CA 92843 on the following dates:

  • October 17, 2024
  • November 14, 2024
  • December 12, 2024
  • January 9, 2025
  • January 23, 2025
  • February 13, 2025
  • March 13, 2025
  • March 27, 2025
  • April 10, 2025
  • April 24, 2025
  • May 15, 2025

**The times are scheduled from 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. This may vary depending on how many students are scheduled on each date

 

PARENT/DISTRICT ATTORNEY MEETING DATES

Parent/District Attorney Meetings for the 2024/2025 school year will be held on the following dates from 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm:

October 1, 2024
November 19, 2024
January 7, 2025
February 11, 2025
March 11, 2025
April 15, 2025

DA Meetings will be held at the Lincoln Education Center – Plaza, located at 11262 Garden Grove Blvd., Garden Grove, CA 92843 

***Dates subject to change

Student Services