Attendance

Attendance Information

Attendance Procedures

Regular attendance is essential to a student's success in school. Students should not be absent from school unless absolutely necessary, as classroom activity cannot be made up. Lectures, discussions, and participation are lost to those who are absent.

Attendance Awards:

Recognition will be given for outstanding attendance! Students demonstrating outstanding attendance will be recognized and become eligible for drawings, awards, and prizes. Our goal is to improve student attendance and celebrate their success.

To Excuse an Absence:

1. Report the absence by telephone to the office as soon as possible each morning that a student is absent. For your convenience, we do have voice mail to record absences at:
(602)-449-4200 from 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.

2. Submit the completed Absence/Tardy Excuse Form to the Attendance Secretary within 24 hours of the student’s return to school.

Dismissal During The School Day:

1. A parent must come in and sign the student out. A student will not be released to persons other than the parent unless that person is listed on the emergency card.

2. Present picture identification.

3. Submit the completed Absence/Tardy Excuse Form and verification of appointment to the Attendance Secretary within 24 hours of the student’s return to school.

Late Arrival:

1. A phone call must be made to the attendance office the morning of the tardy.

2. Submit the completed Absence/Tardy Excuse Form and verification of appointment upon return.

3. Habitual morning tardies may result in referral to Saturday School per Tardy Policy.

Tardiness

Students who are late to school must report to the attendance office. Students who are late to class without an excuse will be considered tardy.

Tardy Policy

1st tardy: Points issue

2nd tardy: Points issue, student calls home

3rd tardy: Points issue, student sits on step, teacher calls home

4th tardy: Points issue, referral to office

5th tardy: Saturday Community Service; no show results in suspension from school

6th tardy: One-day suspension from school

Truancy Procedures

A student absent without the consent of his/her parents is truant and will be given an unexcused absence.

A student is truant if:
• The student leaves school without signing out in the front office.
• Leaves school at lunch without a pass.
• Is absent from school without prior permission from the parents.
• Is absent from class without permission.
• Obtains a pass to go to a certain place and doesn't report there.
• Becomes ill and goes home or stays in restroom instead of reporting to the nurse's office.
• Comes to school but does not attend classes.

CUTS:

To encourage and improve school attendance, Explorer has implemented a truancy program in partnership with Maricopa County Juvenile Court. This truancy program is called C.U.T.S. (Court Unified Truancy Suppression). We will be tracking attendance very closely. Your child is expected to be at school every day, unless there is an excused reason not to be. An absence is defined as a minimum of one missed class period per day. An unexcused absence will count as a truant day as defined by law. A student is “habitually truant” if he/she has five or more unexcused absences from school. A student that is absent more than ten percent of the required number of school days per year is considered to have “excessive absences” whether the absence is excused or unexcused. When a student has five or more unexcused absences or excessive absences (excused OR unexcused), the student can be cited to the CUTS Program through the Juvenile Court.