School Committee members and administrators discussed a proposal to create an attendance‑coordination role to centralize residency checks, truancy follow‑up and diversion services for chronically absent students.

Administrators said building principals and central staff presently handle attendance, residency and truancy tasks informally and that the district lacks a central resource to manage escalation to diversion services and family‑court interactions. A district administrator said the district had, at one point, "borrowed the attendance position from Portsmouth" to perform a residency check because Barrington lacked the staff to do the work.

Committee members and the administration described typical functions for the proposed role: monitoring chronic absenteeism (commonly defined as missing 10% or more of school days), coordinating diversion services that pair families with supports before filing in family court, and performing residency verifications. The committee discussed several staffing models: a part‑time or stipend position (often filled by a retired professional), a 0.5‑FTE staff member or a full‑time role, and whether the function could be a contracted service.

Members emphasized that the role should be designed to prioritize student support and diversion rather than punishment, and that a job charter outlining responsibilities, authority and success measures would be useful. The administration agreed to draft a job charter and a proposed approach for October so the committee can consider how to staff and fund the function in the next budget cycle.