88th Annual CASCWA State Conference: Full Schedule

9:30am PDT

Chronic Absenteeism: A Psychosocial Perspective

Monday April 28, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am PDT

As we continue to analyze and evaluate various strategies to combat chronic absenteeism within our student populations, Micha Saenz and Gabby Britt review the multiple barriers to school attendance, vulnerable student populations, and how chronic stress contributes to chronic absenteeism. They will also provide in-depth and invaluable strategies to assist school districts in developing strategic plans to support their students in multiple domains. In this presentation, they will offer comprehensive school-wide approaches and interventions to support students by removing barriers, providing targeted support, and accessing necessary, school-based and community-based resources

Speakers

Gabriella Britt

Social Worker, Kern High School District

I am a school social worker for the Kern High School District, housed at the district office. I am responsible for working with the McKinney-Vento students and families within the KHSD. I provide resources and facilitate linkage to assist students and families in meeting their... Read More →

Monday April 28, 2025 9:30am - 10:45am PDT
TBA

Attendance

11:00am PDT

ICAN's Breakthrough Model: Reducing Chronic Absenteeism through an Improvement Network

Monday April 28, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm PDT

TBA

Improving Chronic Absenteeism Network (ICAN) is a collaborative improvement model that makes use of an innovative network approach. Discover how school teams participating in a boots-on-the-ground “breakthrough” network has resulted in a remarkable decline in chronic absenteeism across multiple cohorts. Explore the improvement journey of ICAN and its far-reaching impact in re-connecting students to the school community. Learn from the San Diego County Office of Education innovative approach synergizing improvement methodology, tools, and adult mindsets within a network context to center on students and their lived experiences. A comprehensive session unraveling ICAN's groundbreaking approach and potential utility as a model to replicate.

Speakers

Tracy Schmidt

Director, San Diego County Office of Education

Todd Langager

Evaluation Coordinator, San Diego COE

Todd is an Evaluation Coordinator in the Assessment, Accountability, and Evaluation Department at the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE). Having worked at SDCOE since 2008, he supports and builds the capacity of district and site leaders to evaluate the effectiveness of... Read More →

Julia Birdi

Executive Leadership Coach, San Diego County Office of Education

Monday April 28, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm PDT
TBA

Attendance

11:00am PDT

Promoting Attendance: Focused Data, Tiered Systems, and Equity-Minded Collaboration

Monday April 28, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm PDT

TBA

Attendance Matters! Strategies depend on your specific data and supports. Participants will review how a school with 80% English Learners, near the Mexican border, with 94% ADA supported growth to result in 97% ADA in four years. Participants will also see examples of tiered systems for different roles within a school site and district, to support students and help in improving ADA along with decreasing chronic absenteeism. Jorge Garcia has supported the attendance support requests, and Lisbeth has supported sites in middle school with attendance intervention, particularly when reaching tier 3 supports. Collaboration will be integrated, and strategies to consider equity and climate within the priority in attendance.

Speakers

Joan Faus, Ed.D.

Director, Student Support Services, Vista Unified School District

A leader, educator, and learner who has been in education since 2003. Before working within district leadership, Dr. Joan Faus was a 3rd- 8th-grade teacher, academic coach, grant coordinator, vice-principal, and two principalships. Joan has a love for equity with a focus on positivity... Read More →

Jorge Garcia

Secretary, Vista Unified School District

Lisbeth Soria Barrios

Social Worker, Vista Unified School District

Monday April 28, 2025 11:00am - 12:15pm PDT
TBA

Attendance

2:30pm PDT

Attendance: Ask The Experts: Model SARB Panel

Monday April 28, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm PDT

TBA

While chronic absenteeism has been a “hot topic” for the past few years, the pandemic thrust school attendance into the spotlight and pushed educational leaders to reexamine their systems of support in order to improve attendance and reduce chronic absenteeism rates. The Model School Attendance Review Board (SARB) Recognition Program identifies and recognizes outstanding and innovative multi-tiered school attendance improvement programs at the district or county level. This workshop will include a panel of Model SARB awardees who will share strategies and best practices for implementing multi-tiered systems of support for attendance and encouraging collaborative, non-punitive approaches to engaging with students and families.

Speakers

Jennifer Gomeztrejo

Co-founder, Educational Consultant, Student Support Services Solutions, Inc.

Student Support Services Solutions (S4) is an educational consulting group that provides coaching, training and technical support to school districts, parents, students and community members as it relates to the California Education Code and other laws affecting student services and... Read More →

Monday April 28, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm PDT
TBA

Attendance

2:30pm PDT

Meaningful Shifts for High Impact Attendance Initiatives

Monday April 28, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm PDT

TBA

Meaningful Shifts for High Impact Attendance Initiatives

Speakers

Emily Ballard

CEO, Every Day Labs

As CEO of EveryDay Labs, Emily is passionate about improving educational outcomes through data-driven interventions that promote positive behavior change. Before joining EveryDay Labs, she led teams at Opower, where she employed behavioral strategies to encourage energy conservation... Read More →

Jocie Wilson

Director of Student & Family Support Services, Glendora Unified School District

Monday April 28, 2025 2:30pm - 3:45pm PDT
TBA

Attendance, Sponsor

8:30am PDT

The Power of SART

Tuesday April 29, 2025 8:30am - 9:45am PDT

TBA

Learn how to make the most of a SART meeting at your site to explore barriers to attendance and engage students, staff, and family members in effectively identifying and committing to interventions to address barriers.

Speakers

Sasha Lubkin

TSA ATTENDANCE, SRVUSD

I am a California licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) and hold a pupil personnel service credential for school social work. Prior to working in education, I provided case management and substance abuse treatment for parolees, taught job readiness skills to adults seeking work in... Read More →

Tuesday April 29, 2025 8:30am - 9:45am PDT
TBA

Attendance

8:30am PDT

Utilizing a System of Approach to Attendance & Truancy Mediation

Tuesday April 29, 2025 8:30am - 9:45am PDT

TBA

Learn about Lodi USD's system of approach for addressing student attendance and truancy. This presentation will cover the following: district/school site structure for attendance/truancy, Lodi USD's truancy mediation process, and the use of RaaWee K12 Attendance Improvement software.

Speakers

Benjamin Rechter

Coordinator, Lodi Unified School District

Tuesday April 29, 2025 8:30am - 9:45am PDT
TBA

Attendance, Sponsor

10:00am PDT

Attendance: MTSS Tiers of Intervention: Addressing Absenteeism in High School

Tuesday April 29, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am PDT

TBA

Taking a closer look into Sequoia Union High School District’s (SUHSD) planning and development of a secondary student engagement service structure. This session will include perspectives from both district and site levels on the development and implementation of SUHSD’s tiered interventions to address the often complicated barriers to high school student engagement. SUHSD is a 2024 Model SARB awardee.

Speakers

Jarrett Dooley

Director of Student Services, Sequoia Union High School District

Shana Karashima

MTSS Coordinator, Sequoia Union High School District

Maribel Orozsco

Mental Health Caseworker, Sequoia Union High School District

Tuesday April 29, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am PDT
TBA

Attendance

10:00am PDT

From Crisis to Success: How One District Cut Chronic Absenteeism in Half

Tuesday April 29, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am PDT

TBA

With 40,000 students across nearly 70 schools, Garden Grove Unified School District transformed their post-pandemic attendance approach from compliance-focused to a comprehensive cultural shift emphasizing student engagement and family partnership. District leaders will share how they leveraged their MTSS framework to create sustainable attendance improvements, particularly among vulnerable populations. Learn how they aligned attendance initiatives with LCAP goals, integrated equity-focused practices into outreach strategies, and built a scalable system across all grade levels. Discover how their data-driven approach has created lasting improvements in student attendance and engagement.

Speakers

Erik Elorriaga

Account Executive, SchoolStatus

Erik is a former Special Education and Para-Professional helping students with severe educational needs accomplish huge success. Currently charged with increasing student achievement, family engagement, and overall attendance across California schools while focusing heavily on curbing... Read More →

Dr. Jeff Layland

Coordinator of Student Services, Garden Grove Unified School District

Dr. Jeff Layland (He/ His / Him) is the Coordinator of Social Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health with the Garden Grove Unified School District. GGUSD is a TK-12 school district that serves a diverse population of about 37,000 students. He helps to support many of GGUSD's social... Read More →

John Marsh

Director of Student Services, Garden Grove Unified School District

Dr. Steve Yoon

Assistant Superintendent of Special Education and Student Services, Garden Grove Unified School District

Tuesday April 29, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am PDT
TBA

Attendance, Sponsor

10:00am PDT

Reducing Truancy and Chronic Absence Through Collaborative Truancy Courts

Tuesday April 29, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am PDT

TBA

This presentation will lay out how to partner with schools and districts to first prevent and reduce truancy and chronic absence without law enforcement involvement. I will cover best practices, district-wide attendance messaging, and how to effectively communicate with parents about absences. I will also cover how to establish and run an effective collaborative truancy court, that both supports parents who are struggling with a crisis leading to their child's truancy, and encourages accountability of the parents in order to achieve improved attendance rates.

Speakers

Alisha Schoen

Santa Clara County District Attorney's Association

Alisha Schoen graduated from UCLA in 2005, after which she attended Stanford Law School, graduating in 2009. Alisha has experience in both the private and international sectors: she practiced civil defense work for two years before working for the Office of the Prosecutor at the... Read More →

Tuesday April 29, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am PDT
TBA

Attendance

1:45pm PDT

How Law Enforcement and the Courts Can Help Improve Attendance

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm PDT

TBA

From Covid to false school shooting threats, educators are dealing with a tsunami of causes of increased chronic absence. As the problem gets bigger then, so too must our solutions get smarter. In this presentation I will cover how partnership with the district attorney to prevent and abate truancy is a vital part of that solution. I'll lay out the mechanics of how to scaffold tiered, partnered interventions. And how to create a collaborative truancy court that not only addresses attendance, but the underlying crisis that the child or family is experiencing which lead to the chronic absence in the first place.

Speakers

Alisha Schoen

Santa Clara County District Attorney's Association

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm PDT
TBA

Attendance

1:45pm PDT

Understanding Section 504

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm PDT

TBA

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is a function of general education. As a result, many of the general education staff responsible for implementing the Section 504 requirements lack the specialized training typically associated with special education, even though there are comparable procedural requirements as those found in special education. This training provides an overview of the Section 504 process, including eligibility, assessment, and child find requirements. This training is ideal for Section 504 Coordinators and any staff responsible for implementing Section 504 at school sites.

Speakers

Dora Dome

Attorney, Dora Dome Law

Dora J. Dome has practiced Education Law for over 27 years, primarily in the areas of student issues and special education. She currently provides legal representation to school districts on student issues and develops and conducts professional development trainings for district staff... Read More →

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:45pm - 3:00pm PDT
TBA

Attendance

3:15pm PDT

Reengaging, Redirecting, Reinforcing: Addressing Chronic Absenteeism Through Expanded Learning Partnership

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:15pm - 4:30pm PDT

TBA

Chronic absenteeism poses a significant obstacle to student success and overall academic performance. Nevertheless, through strategic partnerships and expanded learning initiatives, schools can effectively confront this challenge and cultivate a culture of consistent attendance and active participation.

In this interactive workshop, participants will delve into the innovative approaches spearheaded by the Garvey School District in collaboration with expanded learning provider, Woodcraft Rangers. Together, they have established a comprehensive network of support and opportunities aimed at engaging and retaining students. From developing community and culturally tailored programs to providing immediate assistance for unhoused or foster youth, the partnership between Garvey and Woodcraft has capitalized on their respective strengths to optimize student engagement.

Speakers

Danny Salas

Chief Program Officer, Woodcraft Rangers

Danny Salas, Chief Program Officer, Woodcraft Rangers, leads diverse expanded learning programs, overseeing a team of directors, program managers, and 850+ site coordinators and club leaders. Instrumental in the formation of partnerships that support inclusion of neurodiverse and... Read More →

Bulmaro Magallon

Director of Family Services, Garvey School District

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:15pm - 4:30pm PDT
TBA

Attendance

3:15pm PDT

SART and SARB - From Development, Training, Roll Out, and Implementation

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:15pm - 4:30pm PDT

TBA

A student's truancy journey begins at their school site. We often have a well-established SARB process at the district level, but what preventative steps exist at the site level? Who do we engage? What does the SART process look like prior to the student being referred to the district-level SARB?

Next, we will explore the SARB process, which must follow various compliance aspects and there are many facets to a successful program. Participants will explore the legal aspects of SARB, learn step-by-step aspects of a successful SARB program, explore implementation procedures, and evaluate their site and/or district SARB process. Participants will walk away with tools to immediately implement when they return to their site and/or district.

Speakers

Steven France

Director, Acalanes Union High School District

Steven France brings 25 years of public school education at the high school and adult education levels. He began his career as a high school English and Leadership teacher in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District prior to his 2005 appointment as Vice Principal within the same district... Read More →

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:15pm - 4:30pm PDT
TBA

Attendance

8:30am PDT

Building the Foundation for Success: Early Identification, Intervention, and Best Practices for Attendance Strategies

Wednesday April 30, 2025 8:30am - 9:45am PDT

TBA

Proactive attendance strategies and early interventions are vital for fostering student success. This session will focus on identifying at risk patterns of chronic absenteeism early in the school year and implementing best practices to promote consistent attendance. Attendees will gain practical tools aligned with CASCWA’s mission to enhance equity, integrate multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), and strengthen engagement with students and families. Designed for school and district administrators, support staff, and communities, this workshop provides actionable insights to help districts achieve their Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) goals while expanding professional learning communities across California and beyond.

Speakers

Marie-Helene Demers

Senior Program Specialist-Child Welfare & Attendance, Los Angeles County Office of Education

Marie-Hélène Demers is a Senior Program Specialist at LACOE with over 8 years of dedicated experience in the field of education. She has held various roles, including Pupil Services and Attendance Counselor and Lead Counselor, where she provided consultations and training to counselors... Read More →

Andres Castro

Senior Program Specialist, Child Welfare & Attendance, Los Angeles County Office of Education

Dr. Andres Castro serves as Senior Program Specialist for the Los Angeles County Office of Education. With a robust background in educational leadership and student support, they have previously dedicated 8 years as a school counselor and have excelled as a district administrator... Read More →

Toni Banuelos LCSW

Senior Program Specialist-Child Welfare & Attendance, Los Angeles County Office of Education

Wednesday April 30, 2025 8:30am - 9:45am PDT
TBA

Attendance

8:30am PDT

Interdistrict Transfers - When Can I Say No?

Wednesday April 30, 2025 8:30am - 9:45am PDT

TBA

This presentation will give site and District administrators the tools to develop defensible ways to limit interdistrict transfers when allowing such transfers will cause an impact to programs. We will explore discrimination issues, staffing issues and appeals to County Office.

Speakers

Lauri Arrowsmith

Senior Counsel, Lozano Smith Attorneys at Law

Lauri Arrowsmith is Senior Counsel in Lozano Smith's San Diego office. Ms. Arrowsmith focuses on helping school districts handle complex special education issues in a variety of settings, including IEP meetings, mediations and due process hearings. With her many years of experience... Read More →

Amanda Cordova

Attorney, Lozano Smith

Wednesday April 30, 2025 8:30am - 9:45am PDT
TBA

Attendance

8:30am PDT

Streamlining Success: Attendance Processes and Protocols for Improvement

Wednesday April 30, 2025 8:30am - 9:45am PDT

TBA

Effective attendance management is a cornerstone of student achievement and school success. This workshop provides school leaders, attendance teams, and support staff with the tools and strategies necessary to enhance attendance protocols, reduce chronic absenteeism, and foster a culture of engagement and accountability.

Participants will learn how to streamline attendance tracking processes, develop clear and actionable policies, and leverage data to identify trends and intervene early. The session will include best practices for building strong communication channels with families, cultivating collaborative partnerships, and integrating technology to optimize efficiency.

Through interactive discussions and hands-on exercises, attendees will leave equipped to implement practical, scalable solutions that improve attendance rates and support student success.

Speakers

Laura Collins-Williams

Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, Beverly Hills Unified School District

Laura Collins-Williams serves as the Assistant Superintendent for Student Services in the Beverly Hills Unified School District, where she oversees a wide range of programs, including special education, student health and psychological services, discipline, attendance, safety, and... Read More →

Dr. Ben Wardrop

Director, Student Services, Beverly Hills USD

Wednesday April 30, 2025 8:30am - 9:45am PDT
TBA

Attendance

10:00am PDT

Enhancing Student Engagement and Attendance: San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD) Social Workers' Comprehensive Approach

Wednesday April 30, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am PDT

TBA

The program has achieved a 75% increase in school-wide attendance and boosted family engagement through Parent Connect programs offered in English and Spanish, providing psychoeducation and community support. The grant has also enabled proactive support for incoming students at feeder middle schools and extended services to high school students and their siblings, even before enrollment. This program plays a pivotal role in restorative and preventive efforts to holistically support students and families.

Speakers

April Torres

Manager of Mental Health Programs, San Mateo Union High School District

April Torres is the Director of Mental Health Programs, leading initiatives under the LCSSP Consortium Grant alongside Associate Manager of Mental Health Joanne Michaels and Director of Student Services Don Scatena. Together with a team of three social workers, we have established... Read More →

Joanne Michels

Associate Manager of Mental Health Programs, San Mateo Union High School District

Chelsi Cheng

District Social Worker, San Mateo Union High School District

Wednesday April 30, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am PDT
TBA

Attendance

10:00am PDT

Every Day Matters: A Systems Approach to Attendance and Engagement

Wednesday April 30, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am PDT

TBA

Every missed school day is a lost opportunity, yet most attendance strategies fail because they rely on compliance over connection. In this session, Hugo Lopez will reveal how Ontario-Montclair School District cracked the code using a data-driven systems approach that doesn’t just track absences—it changes behaviors. Through real-world success stories and practical strategies, you’ll learn how to design an attendance system that engages families, mitigates barriers, and transforms outcomes.

Speakers

Hugo Lopez

Director, Child Welfare, Attendance & Récords, Ontario-Montlcair SD

Wednesday April 30, 2025 10:00am - 11:15am PDT
TBA

Attendance, Sponsor