Pupil Support Services Al Mijares, Ph.D., Superintendent October 22, 2004 The Honorable Frederick P. Horn Presiding*

The SAUSD Web Site provides an inadequate treatment of attendance matters and lack explicit expectations for students' attendance. The District agrees in part with this finding. The Santa Ana Unified School District (hereinafter "SAUSD" or "the District") partially agrees with the Grand Jury finding regarding the district's website information on attendance. SAUSD is in the process of updating and enhancing our web page, which will certainly include specific and detailed attendance expectations. Findina #8 Membership on the County SAR Board is open to all County school districts. This finding is not applicable to SAUSD. Santa Ana Unified School District is part of the Orange County Department of Education SAR Board and will continue to participate.

The percentage of habitual truants referred to a SAR Board is unacceptably low. SAUSD does not completely agree with this finding. The Santa Ana Unified School District has implemented a prevention process which greatly reduces the number of students referred to SAR Board. This is possible through the Notice of Truancy and the Habitual Truancy Letters sent to parents plus the District Attorney's meetings, with the parent and student, which are held every two weeks. .

School districts that limits or curtail their participation on the County SAR Board because of budgetary constraints may not be aware of the opportunity for reimbursement, through State Education Code 48323. The District does not agree with this finding. Santa Ana Unified School District has and continues to fully participate on the County SAR Board and is aware of the reimbursements afforded by Education Code § 48323. Mary Booth - Response to the Grand Jury Report - LATEST REVISION.doc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Response to the Grand Jury report, "Combating Truancy in Orange County"

Periodic training of school administrators in preparing SARB –referral documentation packages would be beneficial. The District already complies with this finding. Santa Ana Unified School District provides annual and individual training for school administrators in preparing SARB referral documentation.

Santa Ana Unified School District's statement that periodic training of school administrators in preparing SARB-referral documentation packages is not necessary because clerical personnel do the work appears to underestimate the important and critical role that the school administrators play in the SARB process. SAUSD does not agree with the finding. This finding appears to be based on one person's comment who at the time was assigned to the Pupil Support Services Department as an Interim Administrator. The clerical staff is not responsible for compiling the SARB referral documentation. It is the site administrator's responsibility to gather the referral information as well as present it to the SAR Board. Santa Ana Unified School District administrators have and will continue to be trained annually and or on an individual basis in the preparation of SARB referral documentation. Mary Booth - Response to the Grand Jury Report - LATEST REVISION.doc Response to the Grand Jury report, "Combating Truancy in Orange County"