School Attendance

Student Attendance Review Team (SART)

A SART Meeting is a problem-solving meeting that includes the parent/guardian, student and members from the school team, to discuss and implement strategies and intervention to help improve attendance. The SART process can be utilized for any student who is experiencing attendance challenges and should be done in conjunction with the first and or second notification letter.

SART Toolkit

The County Office of Education has created a Student Attendance Review Team (SART) toolkit to be an effective tool for districts in helping promote regular attendance. The toolkit includes:

Universal prevention strategies that create a welcoming and supportive school environment for all students
Strategies and supports for families and students struggling with absenteeism
Best practices for developing a Student Attendance Review Team
Sample SART meeting agendas and scripts
SART/SARB notification letters and contracts

Student Attendance Review Board (SARB) Process

The SMCOE County SARB Meetings are currently paused as we retool our process. We plan to restart these meetings as early as January 2027.
Please return to this website for more information in late 2026.

Resources

ATTENDANCE MATTERS PROJECT

ATTENDANCE MATTERS PROJECT

The Attendance Matters Project was a research project conducted in schools across San Mateo County. The San Mateo County Office of Education partnered with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and Harvard University to study student attendance and academic performance for the 2015-16 school year and through fall 2016. The final report for the project showed that regular and specific communication with elementary school families about the importance of school attendance resulted in improved school attendance, especially for those students considered "chronically absent."

For more information, contact Valerie Arbizu | Executive Director, Safe & Supportive Schools