When it is determined that a student in grades K-6 is in violation of the school district attendance policy and procedures, the principal will check with the Department of Human Services records to determine whether the student’s family is receiving Family Investment Program (FIP) benefits. If the student’s family is receiving FIP benefits, the principal will notify DHS. DHS is responsible for the Attendance Cooperation Process.
If the student’s family is not receiving FIP benefits, the principal will initiate the Attendance Cooperation Process. The parents will be contacted to participate. The principal may also invite juvenile court officers, the county attorney, other school officials and others deemed appropriate. If others are invited who don’t have access to the student’s records either by law or a Juvenile Justice Agency Information Sharing Agreement, parental consent is needed for them to participate in the Attendance Cooperation Process.
The purpose of the Attendance Cooperation Process is to determine the cause of the student’s nonattendance, get parties to agree to solutions addressing the nonattendance and initiate referrals to any other services that may be necessary. The agreement is then written. The agreement is to include all terms agreed to and future responsibilities of all parties. All parties must sign the agreement and failure to sign by the parents is considered a violation of the process and initiates the next level.
If the parents do not participate in the Attendance Cooperation Process, if the parties do not enter into an Attendance Cooperation Agreement or if the parents violate a term of the agreement, the student is deemed truant. For Family Investment Program students and non-Family Investment Program students, the school district notifies the county attorney when students are truant. When a student is deemed truant, for Family Investment Program students, DHS is again notified and DHS then initiates the process whereby Family Investment Program benefits are reduced.
