FUHSD commits $78,615 annually for new attendance supervisor position

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

The Fallbrook Union High School District created a new supervisor of attendance position.

The estimated annual cost of that position is $78,615 consisting of $49,563 for salary and $29,052 for benefits. The position was created on a 5-0 FUHSD board vote July 12.

The supervisor of attendance will be responsible for outreach efforts to students with chronic and excessive absences from school and to the students' parents or legal guardians. He or she will identify and investigate chronic attendance problems and will assist in the resolution of those problems.

He or she will also conduct address verifications, represent the school district in interactions with students and parents or legal guardians for attendance-related issues, coordinate and organize the School Attendance Review Team and the School Attendance Review Board and actively participate in those, and perform related duties as assigned. The position will report to the school district's Director of Special Education and Student Services.

Contact with the students and parents or legal guardian may be by telephone, by home visit, or by other in-person contact means. Students and their parents or guardians will be referred to other agencies, programs, and schools to address chronic absence issues. The supervisor of attendance will deliver any necessary court summons and proof of service documents and will also notify and communicate with other relevant agencies such as child abuse agencies, law enforcement agencies, the District Attorney's office, and probation officers.

The supervisor of attendance must have knowledge of state laws and district policies pertaining to student attendance and the enforcement of attendance policies, basic law enforcement procedures, personal safety precautions and procedures in the event of a potentially dangerous situation, community agencies and other resources which can address the underlying causes of attendance problems, legal procedures and court filings, various cultures and traditions of students enrolled in Fallbrook Union High School District schools, basic facilitation and conflict resolution techniques and tactics, and modern office practices and procedures including equipment.

He or she must have the ability to obtain and accurately assess information including confidential or other sensitive information obtained from telephone calls and site visits, organize and set priorities, utilize listening and negotiation skills during contacts with students and parents or guardians, explain the applicable policies, communicate both orally and in writing both in English and in Spanish, maintain detailed documentation, exercise sensitivity and objective judgment during interactions, and establish and maintain working relationships.

A bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited academic institution will be required. A major in a relevant field such as education, child psychology, sociology, or law enforcement will also be required although work experience in a closely related field will be considered in lieu of a relevant major.

He or she must have three years of progressively responsible experience working with high-risk adolescents in an organized setting, preferably in a public agency, and two years of progressively responsible experience involving student and public contact. The supervisor of attendance must have a valid California driver's license and proof of automobile insurability and must have a Supervisor of Attendance certification or the ability to obtain one. He or she will be given mileage reimbursement for home visits.