Data were collected through interviews, observation, and school documents. Behavior management strategies were classified as open or closed based on the degree to which school administrators involved teachers, students, and others in the design and implementation of the strategies. Generally, school administrators established behavior and discipline regulations without input from others. Furthermore, these rules were not made known to students and parents. Regulations and enforcement lacked conformity with the Chancellor's Regulations. Attendance, guidance, and support policies and procedures reflected closed management strategies. Each school's annual absentee figures and numbers of violent incidents were consistent with the hypothesis. Other data, such as long-term absentee statistics, were not consistent with the hypothesis regarding closed management strategies. The research highlights the need to solicit community-wide input in designing and implementing student behavior and discipline rules. Earlier intervention is needed to prevent students from becoming chronic truants and delinquents. Personal meetings should be employed to return truant students to schools. Behavior and discipline policies should be uniformly applied. Interview question data, questionnaire and scoring form, attendance regulations, and a bibliography are appended.