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While there is debate about whether courts should be involved in truancy reduction efforts, less recognized is how courts can impact school attendance without lengthening their reach or further penalizing children and families. Courts are already involved with school-related decision making in child welfare and delinquency cases. This article reports on data from a qualitative study of stakeholder perspectives (N = 64) on school attendance in Maryland. Respondents suggested that courts adopt engagement-focused approaches to guide their work such as family assessments, school attendance plans, monitoring coordination and delivery of services, and ensuring that agencies meet their obligations to children.j fcj_1065 1..18Courts are increasingly being drawn into the conversation on school attendance. Commentators sometimes disagree about whether courts should be involved as a key player in encouraging school attendance, but less recognized is the way that courts may be able to positively impact school attendance without further penalizing children and families or lengthening their reach. Courts are already involved with school-related decision making concerning Corey Shdaimah, LL.M., Ph.D., is Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. Her research examines how professionals and people they serve work to change policies on the ground, with a focus on courts and social service agencies. Correspondence: cshdaimah@ssw.umaryland.edu Virletta Bryant, Ph.D., LICSW, is Assistant Professor at Coppin State University. Dr. Bryant's research areas include minority women and mental health, recruitment and retention of minority students in higher education, and racial disparities in the health care system. Work. Her research interests include the evaluation of restorative practices and community-level interventions.Llewellyn J. Cornelius, Ph.D., LCSW, is a professor at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. He has been involved in the design and implementation of many studies, including a statewide survey examining the cultural competency of mental health providers, and the evaluation of services provided to youth through the courts.