Romulus attendance liaisons say judge-led sessions and outreach cut unexcused absences

Romulus Community Schools attendance liaisons told the Board of Education on May 13 that a mix of data monitoring, family outreach and biweekly informal sessions with a judge has coincided with a marked drop in recorded unexcused absences.

The liaisons — who serve the district’s elementary, middle and high schools — described a workflow that starts with pulls from the district’s mySTAR attendance reports and EduCLIMBER analytics, identifies students with three or more unexcused absences, and then coordinates meetings with school staff and families. For families who do not engage, liaisons said they refer them to an informal Tuesday session with a judge; parents who continue not to participate may receive citations.

The nut graf: liaisons said the combination of outreach, school-based resources and the judge’s sessions has helped reduce recorded absentee totals districtwide and also gives staff a formal process to escalate repeat cases.

Paul Futch, who described himself as a tech liaison working with sixth graders and Wick Elementary, explained the data steps: "We start off by pulling reports from mySTAR. We first look at students that have gained 3 unexcused absences," then review full attendance patterns and coordinate with principals and office staff. Barbara Malcolm, an attendance liaison for middle-school populations, said the team also meets weekly with PBIS coordinators, social workers and the superintendent to review cases and reward progress.

Denise Crank, who represents Hell Creek Elementary and ninth- and tenth-grade high school students, told the board one persistent operational challenge is disconnected phone numbers and outdated emergency contacts in mySTAR, which she said hinders outreach and can mask emergency situations. She said attendance staff sometimes find students who are late but marked absent all day and must reconcile recordkeeping with building staff.

Liaisons described the court sessions as primarily resource-oriented. "Our judge ... is not there to find people and make them pay," Malcolm said, adding that in her experience fines have been rare and the judge instead works with families to identify supports and delayed sentences when appropriate. Board members asked directly whether any families had actually paid fines; the liaisons said fines occur only rarely ("maybe 1 or 2" in the liaison’s recollection) and that when families cannot pay the court refers them to accounting staff to discuss payment plans.

The liaisons emphasized the supports they offer before and after court referral: social work services, McKinney-Vento navigation for students experiencing homelessness, PBIS incentives, and direct coordination with school staff. They asked the board to recognize that citations are a last resort after repeated nonresponse and that the court process is intended to reconnect families to supports.

Board members pressed for clarity about the citation process and costs. Trustee Darcel Davis asked whether the district had seen situations where court penalties produced financial harm; the liaisons replied that the judge typically asks families to meet with district liaisons or accounting staff if finances are a barrier, and that the district does not retain any citation fees. "Those fees are directly from the court, not the school system, and we do not benefit from any of the fees," Davis said, paraphrasing liaison remarks.

The meeting included several concrete data points offered by the superintendent and board during the discussion: one board member cited a compiled total of absences (including all six class periods at the secondary level) falling from 25,507 in a prior year count to 14,231 in the most recent reporting, a decrease attendees described as evidence the interventions are working. Liaisons and the superintendent cautioned that work remains and that the district continues to refine outreach and data accuracy.

The board did not take action on the report; liaisons concluded by thanking board members for support and by encouraging continued coordination among schools, the courts and district staff.