The Northwest Regional ESD employees a team of truancy officers to work with school districts on returning as many students as possible to the classroom. These officers are currently deputized and have citation authority in Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook and Washington County.

Acting on attendance referrals from schools, parents are personally contacted and provided information on Oregon laws that require students to attend school. Of these referrals, approximately 80% are resolved at this contact.

If attendance problems persist, a mandatory meeting is set up with the parents, school staff and NWRESD truancy officers. If efforts are unsuccessful at correcting attendance problems, the parents can be cited to appear before a Circuit Court Judge. That citation can lead to fines, compliance supervision by the court and/or assistance from Juvenile Services.

During the 2010-11 school year, the Attendance Officer Program at NWRESD had approximately 1,587 contacts with parents and students, representing 3,282 hours of service. The program successfully diverted the majority of the students back into regular school attendance. Approximately 80% of referrals are resolved without citations.