School Attendance Review Team (SART)

SART (School Attendance Review Team)

What Is SART?

A School Attendance Review Team (SART) is a school-level committee that meets with students and families when early attendance interventions haven’t worked. The goal is to identify the root causes of absenteeism and develop a clear, documented plan to improve attendance before the issue escalates to the district’s School Attendance Review Board (SARB).

SART is often the final opportunity for resolution at the school site before legal action or district-level intervention is considered.

Why It Matters

SART plays a critical role in bridging early intervention and compliance-based escalation. It gives families a structured, yet supportive space to:

• Talk through barriers to attendance
• Receive targeted support
• Understand the seriousness of the situation
• Avoid legal action or SARB referral

Without SART, many districts escalate cases too quickly—or fail to follow due process before involving outside agencies.

How Schools Use This Term in Practice

When a student accumulates multiple unexcused absences or crosses a chronic absenteeism threshold, the school’s attendance team may:

1. Review the student’s attendance history and prior interventions
2. Invite the family to a SART meeting, usually held on campus
3. Collaboratively create an Attendance Improvement Plan (AIP)
4. Schedule follow-ups and outline consequences for continued absences

A typical SART team might include:

• Principal or Assistant Principal
• Attendance clerk or secretary
• Counselor or social worker
• School nurse (if applicable)
• Parent or guardian
• Student (when appropriate)

Some districts require that SART occur before a SARB referral can be made, as part of a legally compliant, tiered response system.

What’s the Difference Between SART and SARB?

Though they sound similar, SART and SARB operate at different levels of the attendance intervention process:

• SART happens at the school level, focused on early resolution.
• SARB is a district or county panel, often a step before court referral.

In short:

• SART = School-based problem solving
• SARB = District-level compliance and accountability

Related Terms and Concepts

• Truancy – Often the trigger for a SART meeting
• SARB – The next level of escalation after SART
• Attendance Intervention – Steps often discussed or assigned in the SART process
• Excused vs. Unexcused Absences – SART typically focuses on unexcused absences
• Compulsory Education Law – The legal framework that makes SART meetings necessary

Example Scenario

A middle school student in Pasadena USD has 5 unexcused absences and 3 additional absences due to transportation challenges. The school’s early outreach efforts have not resolved the issue. A SART meeting is scheduled, and the student’s parent meets with the assistant principal, school counselor, and attendance clerk. Together, they agree on a formal Attendance Improvement Plan that includes weekly check-ins, bus pass support, and a follow-up meeting in 30 days. If attendance doesn’t improve, the case may be referred to SARB.

How SART Impacts Districts

SART is more than a meeting — it’s a compliance safeguard and a support mechanism. When implemented well, it helps districts:

• Resolve attendance issues without SARB escalation
• Document due diligence for legal and policy compliance
• Offer families meaningful support before involving external agencies
• Reduce chronic absenteeism and truancy through structured engagement

SART also improves cross-functional collaboration at the school site, often pulling together academic, behavioral, and social-emotional supports into one plan.

How Are Schools Across the U.S. Improving SART?

Districts are elevating the effectiveness of SART with more structure, empathy, and follow-through:

1. Standardized Protocols
Districts are creating SART meeting templates, attendance plan forms, and follow-up workflows to ensure consistency.

2. Staff Training
Frontline staff are being trained in motivational interviewing, trauma-informed practices, and culturally responsive engagement for more effective meetings.

3. Parent-Centered Design
Districts are reframing SART as a supportive, non-punitive meeting, helping families feel like partners, not defendants.

4. Integrated Tracking Systems
Instead of relying on paper trails, schools are using platforms like Nudge to log meetings, plans, and outcomes.

5. Tiered Escalation Paths
SART is now built into broader MTSS frameworks, ensuring that referrals are based on clear data and tiered logic.

How Nudge Helps

Nudge gives districts and school teams the tools to make SART structured, trackable, and action-oriented.

With Nudge, schools can:

• Automatically flag students eligible for SART
• Log and track interventions and SART meetings
• Generate and manage attendance improvement plans
• Collaborate with district staff on next steps or SARB referrals
• Ensure full visibility into what was discussed, assigned, and followed up on

By giving your team a centralized system, Nudge helps you turn SART from a one-time meeting into a powerful turning point.

Want to Strengthen Your Attendance Escalation Process?

See how Nudge helps schools document and deliver impactful SART meetings that reduce chronic absenteeism — and keep students supported and engaged.