State Lauds San Bernardino City Unified

SAN BERNARDINO >> For the fourth time, the California Department of Education has recognized the San Bernardino City Unified School District’s (SBCUSD) multifaceted efforts to help students with chronic absences. The SBCUSD Student Attendance Review Board (SARB) is part of the Youth Services Department, under the leadership of Director Ray Culberson. SARB, in partnership with a host of community organizations, is once again a state model for how other school districts around California can curb absenteeism. Programs are eligible to apply for the honor every other year, and the SARB has earned the award four times since 2008. The attendance review board and those who help run it, like Youth Services Specialists Susann Hazen, Elena Acevedo, and Brenda Chow, will be honored in Anaheim on April 21 during the California Association of Supervisors of Child Welfare and Attendance State Conference. The District’s SARB is the only one in all of San Bernardino County to be highlighted as a model this year. "The SARB is a vital way to diagnose and resolve persistent issues that are keeping students from attending school regularly," Hazen said. "Those reasons can range from illness to lack of transportation and sometimes homelessness." “We want to find out what the reasons are for a student not being at school every day,” Hazen said. “Once we understand the reasons, we do anything within our power to intervene and help that student get back on track.” Studies show regular school attendance is important to the academic success of students. According to the Attorney General’s Office, 83 percent of students who are chronically absent in kindergarten and first grade are unable to read at grade level by third grade. And, students who cannot read at grade level by third grade are four times more likely to drop out of school, according to the 2015 Report on California’s Elementary School Truancy and Absenteeism Crisis. SBCUSD families are referred to the SARB when a student has 10 unexcused absences and an initial meeting with the school principal has not resulted in improved school attendance. Once they have been referred to a SARB meeting, some parents are initially upset at the thought of being cited for their children’s truancy, but their outlook quickly changes when they realize the board is genuinely interested in helping families find solutions. Depending on the family or the child’s needs, the review board can refer students to a variety of community services, like counseling, parenting classes, clothing assistance and more. Most of the time, those resources are enough to curb the student’s absenteeism. “We are a model SARB because we have a really good tiered support system and great resources we can offer our families,” Hazen said. “The majority of the time, parents are very appreciative of our work.”