Renaissance High School named Model SARB Program by the State of California

Renaissance High School, the alternative education high school for the Santa Paula Union High School District has just recently been named as a State Model SARB (School Attendance Review Board) program for the state of California.  The Model SARB Recognition Program identifies and recognizes outstanding and innovative results-based school attendance improvement programs that serve as models for other SARBs in the state.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson announced that eleven (11) programs were designated as models of attendance improvement and dropout prevention by the State School Attendance Review Board (State SARB); Renaissance High School is designated as one of the 11 programs state-wide.  

Four members of the Renaissance High School SARB committee traveled to Sacramento to accept the award which was presented in the State’s Capitol Senate Hearing room by Brian Nelson, Special Assistant Attorney General of the Department of Justice representing Attorney General, Kamala Harris.  Additional presenters were Joe Taylor, Administrator, Child Welfare and Attendance, Sacramento County Office of Education (retired) and member of State SARB Board; Dr. William Ellerbee, Jr., Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction, Student Support & Special Services Branch - California Department of Education, and David Kopperud, State School Attendance Review Board Chairperson, California Department of Education.

Both State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson and Attorney General, Kamala Harris, are taking a strong proactive stand on truancy.  Attorney General, Kamala Harris has recently written a letter to all school district superintendents urging them to place greater focus on the improvement of attendance, reduction of chronic truancy and minimizing dropouts.  Reducing absenteeism is a major focus based on new research that points to chronic absence as a key indicator of a student’s academic future.

SARB is an acronym for School Attendance Review Board, it is often thought for the sheer fact that SARB involves the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office to be very punitive.  However, the involvement of law enforcement is only one facet of the SARB process.  Local SARB boards are created to provide a safety net for students with attendance problems.  According to Dr. Robin Gillette, Principal of Renaissance High School and Juan Garcia, Outreach Coordinator; the overarching major goal and objective of our SARB program is to prevent the “at-risk” student from becoming a societal statistic of becoming a “drop-out.”  In order to accomplish this goal the SARB committee strives to understand why students experience attendance problems and makes every effort to assist in correcting the problem(s) by means of prevention strategies, early identification, intervention, positive rewards and acknowledgement, coupled with  utilizing all available school and community resources possible.  Our guiding goals are to reduce or eliminate overall student’s truancy and keep students in school.

It has been noted that prevention and early intervention are the most effective strategies to improve school attendance and reduce truancy. Building positive and inviting school climate that communicates high expectations for attendance and involves parents, students and staff in these efforts are the basics for achieving school attendance goals. Consistent efforts are made by all Renaissance High School staff to build a climate that focuses on the positive. 

According to Dr. Gillette, “SARB is viewed as an extension of all school and community programs in which the “whole student” lies at the heart of the process.”  In order to address the needs of the “whole student and family,” it is paramount that we create a climate of high expectation (we do not settle for less), develop and model caring relationships, actively seek out quality resources and work with and invite the community into partnerships with the school.  It is an age old concept that, “It takes a village to raise a child!”