School Attendance Review Board (SARB)

California compulsory education law requires everyone between 6 and 18 years of age to attend school, except 16 and 17 year olds who have graduated from high school or passed the California High School Proficiency Examination (CHSPE) and obtained parental permission to leave school.”

In 1974 the Legislature enacted a statute that created the School Attendance Review Boards (SARB), composed of representatives from various youth serving agencies to help truant or recalcitrant students and their parents or guardians solve school-attendance and behavior problems through the use of available school and community resources.

Education Code 48321-creation, membership, and powers of SARB. The SARB shall include, but not be limited to:

• Parent representative
• District representative
• Juvenile Probation representative
• County social service/welfare department representative
• Law enforcement representative
• Community Based Organization representative
• School guidance representative
• Other specialists as needed.

The purpose of SARB is to work collaboratively on developing strategies (prevention, intervention, and enforcement) that will help students improve school attendance and behavior while diverting cases away from the juvenile justice system.

Legal Powers Given to SARB

• Education Code 48321.5 authorized SARB to issue subpoenas to individuals involved in SARB referrals.
• Education Code 48291 authorized SARB to direct school districts to file criminal complaints to those who do not respond to SARB directives. If a complaint is not prosecuted, the SARB must be provided with a written explanation
• Ultimate consequences may include fines and suspension or revocation of privileges

Education Code 48908 states: All pupils shall comply with the regulations, pursue the required course of study and submit to the authority of the teachers of the school. Education Code 48263 add if any minor in any district of a county is a habitual truant, or is disorderly during attendance at school, the pupil may be referred to a SARB

The Alameda County Office of Education SARB makes every effort to resolve the truancy or behavior problem with the parent and student before the SARB process. The Alameda County SARB meets bimonthly to handle all referred cases.