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Sarasota board debates tightening attendance policy as staff cites falling truancy referrals
Summary
District staff reported improving attendance trends and a drop in early truancy-court referrals; the board discussed clarifying excused vs. unexcused absences, makeup-work rules, and whether student civic engagement at public meetings should be excused.
District staff told the Sarasota County School Board on Dec. 2 that chronic absenteeism is trending down and that new school‑level interventions have reduced truancy‑court referrals by about half so far this year.
"When we look at that, 1 of the things Mr. Connor charged us with this year...we were able to build in incentive programs" and new dashboards to identify at‑risk students, Rachel O'Day, Student Support Services, told the board.
Dr. Hutchinson, who oversees truancy interventions, said proactive steps at the school level — five‑ and 10‑day notices,…
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