After the hearing
Next Steps After SARB
The SARB hearing is a decision point, not the end of the case. What happens in the 90 days after the hearing determines whether attendance actually changes.
Before escalating further, confirm the school delivered everything it promised. A plan that was never implemented has not been tried.
Within one week of the hearing
- Give the family a written copy of the SARB directives and supports, in their preferred language.
- Name one district owner and one site owner for the plan, and tell the family who to contact.
- Enter every directive, support, referral, and review date so nothing depends on memory.
- Confirm each referred partner received the referral and knows what was promised.
- Schedule the 30-, 60-, and 90-day review dates before anyone leaves the hearing.
30 days — Stabilize
- Verify each promised support was actually delivered, not just assigned.
- Review the attendance trend since the hearing, not only the total count.
- Check in with the student and the family separately.
- Fix delivery failures on the school's side before judging family follow-through.
60 days — Evaluate
- Decide what is working, what changed, and what should be modified.
- Ask whether the original barrier is still the barrier.
- Adjust dosage: more frequent, different person, different time of day.
- Document improvement even when attendance is not yet where it needs to be.
90 days — Decide the pathway
- Sustain, taper, modify, coordinate further, reconvene, or close.
- Keep the supports doing the work when the level of intervention is reduced.
- Recognize the improvement with the student and family, out loud.
- If closing, write down what worked so the site can reuse it.
Pathways after the hearing
Choose the pathway from what the response data shows, not from how long the case has been open.
Attendance improving, plan being followed
- Continue the plan and keep the review schedule.
- Begin planned step-down at 60–90 days rather than stopping supports at once.
- Move the case to re-engagement follow-up and site-level monitoring.
Some improvement, plan partially delivered
- Correct the delivery gap on the school or district side first.
- Modify the intervention rather than repeating the same one louder.
- Reset a short 30-day cycle with a specific, measurable target.
No improvement, supports delivered as promised
- Reconvene the SARB panel with the updated intervention record.
- Re-open barrier identification — the working barrier may be wrong or unknown.
- Bring in additional agency coordination (health, mental health, housing, transportation).
- Consider a program or placement change: alternative setting, independent study, credit recovery, or re-enrollment support.
Plan not followed and contact has broken down
- Attempt documented re-engagement contact, including a home visit where appropriate.
- Review for district referral options available to SARB, including county-level or DA mediation referral.
- Confirm required notifications and documentation are complete and accurate.
- Verify enrollment status and rule out an unrecorded move or health situation before escalating.
When to reconvene SARB
- Directives were delivered and documented, and attendance has not improved.
- A new or previously unknown barrier has surfaced.
- A referred service could not be provided or was declined.
- Circumstances changed significantly — housing, health, custody, work, or transportation.
- The family requests a review of the plan.
Conditions for case closure
- Attendance has held at the agreed level through the 90-day review.
- The barrier has been addressed or the family has stable access to the support.
- Remaining supports are ones the site can carry without SARB directives.
- The student, family, and staff all know what continues after closure.
- The closure summary names what worked so the site can reuse it.