A Brief History of Child Welfare & Attendance Services and APSAC, in Los Angeles City Schools.

The first public school opened in Los Angeles on March 19,1855, as the direct result of a City Council ordinance on July 26, 1853. By the turn of the century, however, six thousand unenrolled children of school age ran the city streets blissfully free and blissfully ignorant. For a long time, there had been an unenforceable state attendance law, and now a hew and cry arose to save this truant horde from "reformatories, hospitals, asylums, and penitentiaries." Consequently, by 1903, a new Compulsory Education Act had been enacted, and on the strength of this, the Los Angeles Board appointed an Attendance Officer. Thus began our own Pupil Services and Attendance Branch. 

This new Attendance Officer--later to become principal of John Adams junior High--almost immediately appealed to the Board for more assistance. So, by a decade later, the Los Angeles School Directory lists a Supervisor of Attendance, an Assistant Supervisor, and five attendance officers. A couple of years later, in 1915, the first woman had been appointed an attendance officer. Right after the First World War, the Board of Education recognized the attendance staff--now fifteen officers with a director and assistant director--onto the Department of Compulsory Education and Child Welfare. Around the same time, in 1919, members of the newly constituted department formed a professional association, the Child Welfare Association, later renamed Association of Pupil Services & Attendance Counselors, or APSAC, which has been in continuous existence ever since. At that time we took our place beside the professionally organized secondary and elementary principals and teachers. Hence, we are one of the oldest professional groups in the Los Angeles City School District.

LAUSD COMPULSORY EDUCATION and CHILD WELFARE in the "OLD DAYS"

·1855--The first school that opened in Los Angeles on March 19, and had 500 children.
·1898-99--The number of school age children not attending school was 6,549, partly due to lack of school housing.Children 8-14 were to attend school at least five months, of which 18 weeks must be consecutive.
·1905-06--Arthur C. Ayers, first Attendance Officer (later principal of 30th St. Intermediate - John Adams Jr. High School) submitted his report mentioning 835 (mostly boys) apprehended for truancy. He recommended that he Compulsory Education Law be raised to 16 years, unless the child was regularly employed, and that continued unexcused absences permit that complaints be filed against the parents.
·1913--The L.A. Federation of Parents and Teachers, who were well organized, promoted the passage of laws through the State Legislature, such as the Juvenile Court Act, curfew ordinance, moving picture censorship, minimum wage law, anti-prize fight bill, fire arms prohibition, which resulted in more enforcement work for the Attendance Officer.
·1913--A position of Assistant Superintendent of Compulsory Education and Evening School was established.
·1915--Their were 8 employees and were appointed as Deputy Sheriff's, complete with badges. Their salary was $100 a month. A woman Officer was appointed.
·1916--The Department of Compulsory Education and Child Welfare was officially established with R.W. Hickley as Director, and E.B. Hitchcock as Assistant Director.
·1917--Mrs. Edna R. Sheldon was appointed Director.
·1918--Mr. Blakemore and Mr. Doyle were Directors.
·1919--The establishment of the Child Welfare and Attendance Association, later renamed Association of Pupil Services and Attendance Counselors (APSAC).
·1922-- The Department was reorganized as the Division of Attendance and Employment of Minors.
·1946--The Department was renamed Child Welfare and Attendance Branch.
·1971--Pupil Services and Attendance Office and the Central Guidance Office were combined as the Pupil Services and Guidance Branch.
·1985--The Pupil Services and Attendance Branch was renamed Student Attendance and Adjustment Services (SAAS)
1990--The Student Services and Attendance Branch was renamed back to Pupil Services and Attendance Branch.