Child Welfare and Attendance | Riverside County Office of Education

Child Welfare and Attendance provides information to school districts, school sites, and parents regarding:

Compulsory Attendance Laws
School Attendance Review Boards and District Attorney Mediation
Student Discipline Issues and Education Code
Investigations and Due Process Procedures
Pupil Records
Legislation Related to CWA
Pupil and Parent Rights
School Safety Issues
Section 504 Accommodations
Child Abuse and Neglect
Annual Notification
Expulsion Appeals
Interdistrict Attendance Appeals

Chronic Absenteeism Reduction

The Director of Chronic Absenteeism Reduction and the Pupil and Administrative Services (PAS) Unit assist all Riverside County School Districts in the improvement of student attendance by reducing chronic absenteeism and truancy. The Director facilitates implementation and improvement of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and the School Attendance Review Board (SARB) process to increase student attendance. The Director and the PAS unit provide support, guidance, trainings, workshops, consultations, resources, and other related services to school district and school site staff to help combat chronic absenteeism, truancy, and irregular attendance.

School district level support includes the following:

Regular meetings with school districts to assess attendance program development and to provide suggestions, resources, and/or examples of best practices for future growth.
Professional development and workshops on a variety of attendance related topics.
District SARB meeting observations to support successful district attendance meetings with families.
District attendance team or attendance committee building support, including volunteering as a member of the district attendance team.
Annual assistance to school districts applying for CDE Model SARB Designation.
Host monthly county SARB meetings to bring all stakeholders and school districts together to help improve student attendance countywide and to collaborate on building collaborative solutions to chronic absenteeism.

School site support includes the following:

School site support attendance team building partnership, including volunteering to be a member of a school site’s attendance team. Attendance teams may work on Tier 1 systems re: student engagement, parent involvement, and school climate. Teams may also work on data analysis, communication, outreach, and Tier 2 interventions, among other topics.
School site SART meeting observations to support successful school site attendance meetings with families.
Parent Group Attendance Presentations when requested by school sites.
Student Group Attendance Presentations when requested by school sites.
Training and ongoing professional development on important topics related to school site attendance practices.

Workshop / Training Topics:

Tier 1 Attendance Practices for Your Attendance Initiatives
Certification Training for Supervisors of Attendance
Best School Site Attendance Practices
Best Practices for School Site Attendance Meetings
All Hands-On Deck: Attendance Team Building Strategies
Equity & Attendance
Restorative Practices & Student Attendance
Trauma Informed Attendance Practices
Family Engagement & Student Attendance
Best Practices for SARB Meetings
Breaking the “Dropout of School to Prison Pipeline”
Best Attendance Practices for High School Students
Customized workshops and trainings upon request

Attendance Video Resources

Handouts and Additional Resources

Expulsion Appeals

Parents may appeal a local board’s decision to expel to the Riverside County Board of Education (RCBE).

When to file: An appeal must be filed within 30 calendar days from the date of the local board’s decision to expel.

The local Board proceeded without or in excess of its jurisdiction.
- Where an expulsion hearing is not commenced within the statutorily or locally prescribed time periods.
- Where an expulsion order is not based upon the acts enumerated in California Education Code section 48900.
- Where the situation involves acts not related to school activity or attendance.
The local Board failed to provide for a fair hearing.
- Where the pupil was denied the right to be represented by counsel.
- Where the pupil was prohibited from introducing testimony of witnesses on his or her behalf.
- Where there is a failure on the part of the school district to introduce substantial evidence to support a recommendation to expel.
- Where the evidence submitted in support of the expulsion is not the kind of evidence upon which reasonable persons are accustomed to rely in the conduct of serious affairs.
- Where the pupil was not given an opportunity to confront or question any witnesses who testified at the hearing except as provided in California Education Code section 48918(f).
There was a prejudicial abuse of discretion in the hearing as such abuse is described in Section 48922 of the Education Code.
- If the school board did not proceed with the expulsion in the manner required by State law or applicable school district rules, regulations or procedures governing expulsions.
- If the decision to expel is not supported by the findings of the school district governing board as prescribed by California Education Code section 48915.
- If the findings are not supported by the evidence.
There is new relevant evidence that could not have been produced at the time of the hearing or there was relevant evidence that was improperly excluded at the hearing.

The Riverside County Board of Education is required to base its determination upon the written record of the expulsion hearing conducted before the school district governing board. No other evidence may be considered except as provided in Education Code section 48923(a)(2). It is not the duty of the RCBE to re-try the issue, but to review the expulsion to assure the proper legal procedures were followed and a hearing was conducted.

Board Policy 9610: Expulsion Appeals Rules of Procedure

Community Partners

Pupil and Administrative Services is pleased to have strong partnerships with community agencies who also provide extensive resources to our districts.

The Riverside Medical Clinic Charitable Foundation’s Anti-Bullying Institute offers programs designed to empower children, parents, schools and youth organization personnel to effectively combat Bullying and promote kindness, acceptance, and inclusion as normal school culture. The Anti-Bullying Institute offers parent classes, the Hero program for schools and professional education, conferences and webinars presenting the latest research and evidence-based strategies.

Attendance Works aims to promote student success and reduce disparities by addressing chronic absenteeism. Their work includes influencing better federal, state and local policy and practices around school attendance, encouraging school districts to track chronic absence data from an early age, and partnering with families and community agencies to intervene as soon as poor attendance becomes evident for a child or school.

Interdistrict Attendance Appeals

If a student is denied attendance at a school outside his/her district of residence, the student or student’s parent/guardian may have an appeal to the Riverside County Board of Education.

To request an appeal, please download and review the Interdistrict Attendance Appeal Packet, and complete the Interdistrict Attendance Appeal and Request for Hearing form included in the packet.

For more information, please review the following Board Bylaws:

An appeal must be filed within 30 calendar days following the failure or refusal of a district to issue a permit. An appeal shall be accepted only upon verification by the County Board of Education’s designee that all local administrative remedies have been exhausted.

The Riverside County Board of Education shall determine the appeal based upon the evidence and information presented by the appellant, respondent(s) and the Secretary to the Riverside County Board of Education.

The Student Support Services Unit at Riverside County Office of Education, RCBEAppeals@rcoe.us or (951) 826-6244, for more information or to request an Interdistrict Attendance Appeal packet.