Fresh Start
Catch the pattern early — plan for 30 days
Fresh Start is an early-pattern response: describe the attendance evidence, hear the student and family, identify the barrier, match one or two supports and check the response at two and four weeks. It is not the formal Success Meeting / SART process.
When Fresh Start is the right move
Any of these — while the pattern is still emerging.
- 3–5 absences in the current month, or the rate climbing week over week
- Repeated tardiness (3+ per week) or first-period absences
- A specific-day, class, or early-checkout pattern
- A sudden change from a previously strong attendee
- Support was offered after a First Faces check-in, but the pattern continues
When it is not (yet)
Do not reset what has not been welcomed — or what is already chronic.
- The concern requires formal targeted family problem-solving — use the School Success Meeting / SART process.
- No one has welcomed the student or checked in yet — start with First Faces.
- An urgent safety, welfare, housing or access need requires its own appropriate response alongside attendance support.
Fresh Start is not the Success Meeting
Two different tools for two different moments. Fresh Start catches an early pattern; the Success Meeting is our SART process.
| Fresh Start | Success Meeting (SART) | |
|---|---|---|
| When | Early in the year or early in a pattern — before it hardens | Pattern is chronic or a Fresh Start did not change it |
| Trigger | An early concerning pattern supported by evidence | Persistent concern despite early support requiring targeted family problem-solving |
| Who | One staff lead + one connection adult, student, family | Formal site team with family, admin, support staff |
| Format | Short, private, blame-free reset conversation | Structured meeting using the official Success Meeting form |
| Plan | One or two supports and a 30-day attendance goal | Reciprocal matched plan with backup and documented commitments |
| Review | 2-week check; 4-week / 30-day decision | 15-day check; 30-day decision |
| Record | Not documented as discipline | Part of the formal attendance intervention record |
Rule of thumb: if a reset can still change the story, use Fresh Start. If the story needs a team and a formal plan, go to the Success Meeting.
The Fresh Start cycle
Five steps across a focused 30-day support cycle.
Catch the pattern while it is emerging — 3–5 absences in a month, tardies stacking up, a sudden change. Facts first, interpretations later.
Ask what makes coming easier or harder and who at school feels safe to approach.
Use evidence and family voice; Unknown is valid while the team learns more.
Choose one or two matched supports, owners, start dates and a measurable attendance goal.
Confirm delivery and access, ask what helped, then continue, adjust or move to Success / SART.
Graduating a Fresh Start is the goal. A reset that does not change the pattern is evidence about the barrier — not about the student.
District Fresh Start toolkit · seven resources in sequence
- 01Fresh Start Attendance SnapshotSee the pattern before solving the problem. Describe evidence, context and strengths without labels.Open fillable form →
- 02Fresh Start Student Voice Check-InA short conversation, not an interrogation. Listen before choosing supports.Open fillable form →
- 03Fresh Start Barrier Discovery ScreenerUse as a conversation aid. Check only barriers supported by student/family information or observable evidence; do not guess.Open fillable form →
- 04Fresh Start Meeting Guide15–20 minute early problem-solving conversation—not a disciplinary conference or SART contract.Open fillable form →
- 0530-Day Fresh Start PlanSmall plan, clear ownership and a short review cycle with two matched supports.Open fillable form →
- 06Fresh Start 2-Week / 4-Week Progress CheckCheck implementation and access before judging the intervention; decide at 30 days.Open fillable form →
- 07Fresh Start Fidelity CheckLeadership quick review of the district's early-pattern response.Open fillable form →
Earlier 10-day worksheets remain in the full Toolkit for existing records; use the district’s 30-day resources above for new work.
Where this fits in the process
First Faces notices and welcomes. Fresh Start resets the pattern early. The SART process formalizes what a reset could not fix.
If the 30-day review shows the pattern persists despite delivered support, step up to the School Success Meeting / SART process — carrying forward what the student told you during the reset, so the plan starts from their words.