BOE forms attendance review committee to address truancy

The Board of Education is tightening its policy on truancy and has created a panel that will mainly provide intervention for juveniles and their families. Truancy is the action of staying away from school without good reason, or absenteeism.

Board of Education chair Herman T. Guerrero disclosed yesterday that a “School Attendance Review Committee” is now in place pursuant to the public law that created the “Juvenile Justice Act of 2008,” or Public Law 16-47.

The new panel is composed of a parent of a school-age child and representatives of the Public School System, the Coalition of Private Schools, the juvenile probation unit of the Division of Youth Services, the children protective unit of DYS and the Department of Public Safety.

“This is another venue for PSS to provide intervention for juveniles and their families to address truancy, irregularly attendance or insubordinate or disorderly behavior in school at the community level before referral to the juvenile justice system,” Guerrero told Saipan Tribune.

Among the duties of the new panel include proposing, promoting, and providing alternatives to the juvenile justice system. It is also tasked to address matters regarding an individual juvenile’s truancy, failure to regularly attend school, or insubordinate or disorderly behavior.

The committee shall also set meetings with juveniles and/or their parents to talk about the consequences of students’ truancy or behavior and establish terms, conditions, and options to reduce and eliminate the truancy. This meeting will be more of a mediation and not adversarial.

The panel is also expected to refer juveniles and their families to other agencies such as the Community Guidance Center, DYS, DPS, and the Attorney General’s Office for services or action, as appropriate.

Guerrero hopes the committee would look into the case of students who are referred to the Alternative Education Program and Lina’la’ Malawasch Academy at Marianas High School and Hopwood Junior High School, respectively.

“There are students at both AEP and LMA that are clients of DYS and are regularly monitored by DYS officials at those places,” he said.

He explained that the panel does have the authority to summon juveniles and their parents to meet with the committee. 

Guerrero said the issue of truancy and the need to create the panel was brought to his attention last year pursuant to the mandates of the Juvenile Justice Act of 2008.

“There is much that needs to be done including the SARC members to know their duties and responsibilities and to work with the Public School System. Standard operating procedures need to be established on how to make referral to the committee, etc.,” he said.

Guerrero has recommended to Education Commissioner Dr. Rita A. Sablan to invite the panel members to the next principals’ and program managers’ meetings.