Aboriginal Peak Organisations Northern Territory (APO NT), National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation (NATSIEC), and the National Indigenous Youth Education Coalition (NIYEC) are deeply concerned by the NT Government’s approach to increase school engagement and attendance. Improving educational outcomes is a priority, this requires an evidence-based approach to addressing the factors that impact on engagement and attendance. The move to ‘bring back truancy officers to get kids to school’ and announcement of 21 Student Attendance Officers (SAOs) who will focus on compliance action against parents and guardians of school age children will disproportionality and detrimentally impact Aboriginal students and families.