SBCSS News and Press Releases

Five County School Districts Earn Status As State Model Programs

2009-03-16

SAN BERNARDINO - Five school districts from San Bernardino County were among the eight selected statewide as model School Attendance Review Boards (SARB), according to a release today by Jack O'Connell, state superintendent of Public Instruction.

The five county districts recognized as model SARB programs are Colton Joint Unified, Hesperia Unified, San Bernardino City Unified, Victor Valley Union High School District and Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Unified.

"We are thrilled that each of these districts has been recognized for the outstanding work they do not only for students, but the families in their communities," County Superintendent Gary Thomas said.

The model districts will be recognized at a ceremony on April 22 in South Lake Tahoe.

All five school districts are members of the San Bernardino County SARB, an advisory group which assists and regulates activities of all SARBs in San Bernardino County, said Sherman Garnett, coordinator of Child Welfare and Attendance for the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools and a member of the statewide SARB. The county SARB meets on a monthly basis.

"These districts all take a collaborative approach to making sure students are getting to school," he said. "What makes their programs successful is that they incorporate the help of law enforcement, county probation, social services, public health and other public and private resources to assist families.

The issues that School Accountability Review Boards have to deal with concern families, not just students. These model districts recognize that in the work they do."

This is the second year of the statewide recognition program. In the inaugural year in 2008, Redlands Unified was selected as a model SARB program.

"Having six of our county programs out of 16 statewide recognized in the first two years shows the commitment districts are making to help students and their families in school attendance," Garnett said.