REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
March 15, 2022
FROM
THOMAS W. SONE, Public Defender
SUBJECT
Title
Non-Financial Memorandum of Understanding with Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District to Help Reduce Truancy
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve a non-financial Memorandum of Understanding with Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District for Public Defender staff to attend School Attendance Review Board hearings and provide support services to clients and their families to help reduce truancy, effective March 16, 2022 through March 15, 2027.
(Presenter: Thomas W. Sone, Public Defender, 382-3950)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Promote the Countywide Vision.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The non-financial Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). Existing Public Defender (Department) budgeted staff will attend School Attendance Review Board (SARB) hearings, provide support services as needed and refer youth to the Let’s End Truancy Project (LET). LET and Department staff are funded through Assembly Bill 1913, Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Under the terms of the MOU, the Department will partner with the Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified School District (YCJUS) to support students and their families with school attendance and behavioral problems in order to reduce chronic absenteeism.
Under California law, youth between the ages of six and 18 are required to attend school unless they have passed the California High School Proficiency Exam, or have graduated from high school. In spite of this requirement, some youth have excessive absences or behavioral problems that can lead to costly long-term problems for the youth, his or her family, the school, and the community. Students with chronic absences don’t perform as well academically, and are more likely to drop out, to enter the juvenile justice system, to be unemployed, and to depend on public assistance.
In order to support school attendance and address factors that contribute to truant or delinquent behavior, school districts establish School Attendance Review Boards (SARBs). SARBs, codified under California Education Code Section 48321, include representatives from the school district, local agencies and community groups that partner to support school attendance and help divert students from the juvenile justice system and into school, community and county resources. The Department is invited to participate in SARB hearings and welcomes the opportunity to assist students, parents, and district staff as needed.
A Department Social Service Practitioner (SSP) will serve as a representative at SARB hearings. The SSP, experienced in working with delinquent youth and their families, will perform in-home screenings to identify needs, assess home and family dynamics, and refer clients and their families to LET.
Department SSPs have experience identifying barriers to school attendance and can help provide students, and their families, access to the most appropriate support services and programs that will address the unique needs of each student referred to SARB to help them achieve success.
Either party may terminate the MOU with a 30-day advance written notice without cause.
PROCUREMENT
Not Applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on February 3, 2022; Finance (Sofia Almeida, Finance Analyst, 387-4378) on February 10, 2022; and County Finance and Administration (Robert Saldana, Deputy Executive Officer, 387-4342) on February 14, 2022.