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Subcommittee considers expanding Huntington engagement model to curb truancy
Summary
At its April 15 meeting, the School Engagement Subcommittee discussed adapting Huntington’s early-intervention attendance model for middle and high schools, formalizing a collaborative plan that shares school contact attempts with county attorneys and diversion/probation staff, and tackling court-involved students who choose to homeschool.
The School Engagement Subcommittee discussed expanding a Huntington school-engagement model to address rising absenteeism at middle and high schools during its April 15 meeting.
Ryan Zabawa, a subcommittee member, and Natalie Wiebelhaus, a subcommittee member, described Huntington’s approach, saying it relies on early interventions, supportive teacher outreach when students miss school and regular phone contact with families. "Huntington has a good model for school engagement that has yielded positive results," Zabawa and Wiebelhaus reported.
Committee members debated whether a model used in elementary schools could scale to larger middle and high school populations. Zabawa said he will meet in the coming weeks with middle- and high-school staff to explore additional supportive solutions and asked that handouts from a prior meeting be shared by community-based agencies so families receive a consistent message.
Zabawa also outlined a collaborative plan in which records of school contacts with families would be included in the plan and shared with the County Attorney and with diversion and probation staff supporting the youth. The committee noted an apparent increase in court-involved students who have elected to homeschool; members said mandating enrollment is difficult because educational rights rest with parents, though courts can sometimes order placement with another party.
To prevent entrenched absentee norms, members suggested engaging families earlier — often at the elementary-school level — and proposed implementing SMART meetings in elementary schools to coordinate supports and ensure families receive needed assistance.
The subcommittee did not take a formal vote on policy changes at the meeting; members assigned follow-up work and will revisit the issue at their next meeting on May 20, 2026.
