Romulus attendance liaisons outline outreach, court referrals and limits of available supports

Romulus Community Schools attendance liaisons presented the district’s "Attendance Matters" approach at the board’s Jan. 28 meeting, describing daily tracking, family outreach and escalation to court sessions when absences persist.

The presentation was led by Shalice Grigsby, an attendance liaison who said the team represents ninth‑ and tenth‑grade high school students and Hale Creek and that it uses MiStar and eWIMS (with plans to incorporate EduCLIMBER) to document conversations and interventions. "We're here this evening to present our Attendance Matters slideshow," Grigsby said, describing the team’s weekly coordination with building administration and district leadership.

Why it matters: Trustees and the liaisons said chronic absenteeism remains a barrier to student learning and that targeted outreach can connect families to supports. The liaisons described a graduated response: an initial notice after three unexcused days, a six‑day notice when earlier interventions fail, and an informal session with Judge Oakley where the judge leads enforcement and the liaison team supports families.

The liaisons cautioned that some barriers are outside the district’s immediate control. They identified a rising unhoused student population, limits of local McKinney‑Vento resources, gaps in transportation and growing student anxiety that at times requires a 504 plan, counseling or social‑work support. Grigsby said the team investigates each case individually rather than relying on blanket assumptions about causes.

Trustees pressed the liaisons on documentation and teacher involvement. Presenters said they record contact notes in student engagement and document sections of MiStar so the record remains visible and more difficult to alter. A trustee suggested teachers should be more proactive with direct calls; the liaisons said their caseload and the need to complete timely investigations means they often make the initial parent contact.

Outcomes and data: The team said the attendance liaison program is in its third year and that absenteeism "has declined greatly" since the program began, but presenters did not provide the removed slides with detailed year‑by‑year figures at this meeting. The liaisons and trustees discussed publishing a central resource page with links to local supports and agreed to explore ways to better categorize the main reasons families give for absences to target interventions.

The session closed with trustees thanking the liaisons for their relationship work and for prioritizing support over punishment when possible. The liaisons urged a collaborative approach that includes social workers, counselors, teachers and building leaders.