In California, the School Attendance Review Board (SARB) process is a multi-agency review that kicks in after a student has racked up unexcused absences and the school’s own efforts to fix the problem haven’t worked. The board, which operates under the California Education Code, meets with the family, identifies why the student isn’t attending, and issues directives — usually in the form of an attendance contract — connecting the family with counseling, social services, or other support. If the family follows through, the case closes there. If not, the board can refer the matter to the district attorney or juvenile court.
What Gets a Case Referred to SARB
California uses a tiered truancy system, and SARB referrals generally come from the upper tiers.
A student is classified as a truant after three full-day unexcused absences, three unexcused tardies or absences of more than 30 minutes, or any combination within a single school year.1Justia. California Education Code 48260-48273 The school must notify the parent at that point.
A student becomes a habitual truant after being reported truant three or more times in one school year, but only if a school official has made a conscientious effort to hold at least one conference with the parent and student. A conscientious effort means at least one attempt to communicate using the most practical method available, including email or a phone call.2California Legislative Information. California Education Code 48262 Habitual truancy is one of the main triggers for a SARB referral.
A chronically absent student is one who misses at least 10 percent of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused — roughly 18 days in a standard 180-day year.3U.S. Department of Education. Chronic Absenteeism Education Code Section 48263 permits a SARB referral for chronic absentees as well, not only habitual truants.4California Legislative Information. California Education Code 48263 A student with frequent excused medical absences may never be labeled a truant and still land in front of the board.
What the School Should Have Done First
A SARB hearing is closer to the last response than the first. Before a case reaches the board, the district has to show it exhausted its own tools. Most districts work through a stepped process:
- Written truancy notification letters, usually at least three, before any referral is considered.
- A conscientious effort to hold at least one parent conference to discuss the absences and identify barriers.2California Legislative Information. California Education Code 48262
- A site-level School Attendance Review Team (SART) meeting at the school, which tries smaller interventions like schedule changes, counseling referrals, or transportation assistance.
- Full documentation of every step taken. If a designated SARB member reviews the referral and finds the paperwork thin, the case gets sent back to the school for more work before the board will hear it.5California Department of Education. SARB Frequently Asked Questions
A SARB referral should not come as a surprise. By the time your case reaches the board, you should already have received multiple written notices and at least one invitation to meet with school staff. If you haven’t, raise it at the hearing.
Who Sits on the Board
SARBs exist at both the county and local district level. California law requires county boards to include representatives from at least 13 categories, including a parent, school district staff, the county probation department, the county welfare department, law enforcement, community-based youth service centers, school guidance and mental health personnel, the district attorney’s office, and the county public defender’s office.6California Department of Education. School Attendance Review Boards District-level boards may draw from the same categories but have more flexibility in composition. The board’s authority sits in the Education Code, and its directives are the formal prerequisite before a case can move to the court system.
How to Prepare for the Hearing
The school district handles the official attendance record and documentation of every intervention it tried, including SART logs and copies of truancy notification letters.5California Department of Education. SARB Frequently Asked Questions You should walk in with your own records.
Bring anything that explains the absences: doctor’s notes, mental health evaluations, documentation of a family emergency, proof of a recent move, or records showing a domestic violence situation. If you’re already working with a social worker or receiving public benefits, bring that information too, so the board can see which services you’re connected to and where the gaps are. A short written statement describing what’s been happening and what help your family needs can carry real weight.
You also have a right to see the records the district maintains on your child. If the school is presenting documents at the hearing that you haven’t seen, ask for copies before the hearing starts.7Bureau of Justice Assistance. Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act: A Guide for First Responders and Law Enforcement
What Happens at the Hearing
SARB hearings are confidential and usually held at a district office or community center. They are not courtrooms and don’t follow courtroom rules of evidence, but they are serious proceedings with real consequences.
The session opens with introductions. A school representative then presents the attendance record and walks the board through what the school tried. The family gets a chance to respond, explain the circumstances, and describe the barriers to regular attendance. Board members ask questions directly: a probation officer may ask about law enforcement contact, a mental health representative may ask whether the student has been evaluated for anxiety or depression, a welfare representative may probe for housing or food insecurity the school didn’t know about.
Most boards issue their decision at the end of the hearing rather than making families wait, so everyone leaves knowing what happens next.
The Attendance Contract and Board Directives
If the board decides community services can address the problem, it will direct the student and family to participate in those services.4California Legislative Information. California Education Code 48263 The directives are usually bundled into an attendance contract. Common requirements include:
- Counseling for the student or family to address mental health issues, substance use, or family conflict contributing to the absences.
- Connections to tutoring, transportation assistance, after-school care, or other social services.
- In some cases, a placement change — a transfer to a different school, independent study, or continuation school.
- Specific attendance targets and a monitoring period, often running through the end of the school year.
The board can require proof of participation at any point during the monitoring period.4California Legislative Information. California Education Code 48263 SARB contracts are not court orders. They’re administrative directives. But ignoring them opens the door to court, which is why treating them seriously matters.
What Happens If You Don’t Comply
When a family fails to follow the board’s directives, or when community services can’t resolve the attendance problem, the SARB can escalate. Under Education Code Section 48263.5, the board may notify the district attorney, the county probation department, or both.8California Legislative Information. California Education Code 48263.5 At that point the case moves from the administrative track into the enforcement track.
Fines and Penalties for Parents
Parents who fail to comply with compulsory education laws face escalating fines under Education Code Section 48293:
- First conviction: up to $100.
- Second conviction: up to $250.
- Third or subsequent conviction: up to $500 if the parent willfully refused to comply.
Instead of fines, the court may order the parent into a parent education and counseling program. The court can also order immediate enrollment or re-enrollment of the student with proof of enrollment, and willfully violating that order is punishable as civil contempt carrying a fine of up to $1,000.9California Legislative Information. California Education Code 48293
A separate and more serious provision applies to parents of students in kindergarten through eighth grade who have been classified as chronic truants. Under Penal Code Section 270.1, a parent who failed to reasonably supervise and encourage the child’s attendance, and who was offered support services to address the truancy, is guilty of a misdemeanor. The penalty can reach a $2,000 fine, up to one year in county jail, or both.10California Legislative Information. California Penal Code 270.1
Consequences for the Student
The student’s case may be referred to juvenile court under Education Code Section 48263. When the board makes that referral, it has to submit documentation of all efforts made to improve attendance along with its recommendations for how the court should handle the case.4California Legislative Information. California Education Code 48263 The juvenile court has broader authority than the SARB, including the ability to place the student under probation supervision. That outcome is exactly what the SARB process is designed to prevent.
Students with Disabilities
If your child has an IEP under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or a Section 504 plan, the standard SARB pipeline does not simply roll forward when the absences connect to the disability. Any decision to change a student’s placement because of a conduct violation requires a manifestation determination review within 10 school days. In that review, the school, the parents, and relevant IEP team members examine whether the behavior was caused by, or had a direct and substantial relationship to, the child’s disability, or whether it resulted from the school’s failure to implement the IEP.11Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 20 USC 1415(k)(1) – Authority of School Personnel If either is true, the conduct is a manifestation of the disability, and the school must address it through the IEP process rather than discipline.
For students with chronic medical conditions, the IEP or 504 plan should document expected absences, how the student will receive instruction during extended absences, and what attendance goals are realistic given the disability. If health issues emerge during the school year, the plan should be updated quickly. If your child has a disability that contributes to absences, make sure the IEP or 504 plan explicitly addresses attendance before the SARB process begins.