Attendance
School Hours
8:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Kindergarten releases at 3:00 p.m.
Early Dismissal: 12:30 p.m.
Kindergarten Early Dismissal: 12:15 p.m.
Attendance Guidelines
Regular attendance is essential for academic success in our school. If it is necessary for a student to be absent, the school office must be notified before 9:00 a.m. If a child does not arrive at school, we want to be sure he/she is safe with you. The attendance phone line is (602) 449-6401, press 1, and is available for messages 24 hours each day. Please do not leave urgent messages on this line; call the school office.
The Attendance Dialer will ensure that parents are notified of their child’s absence if the school has not received a call by 9:00 a.m. All parent and guardian phone (home and work) numbers will be called by the system with a message informing them of their student’s absence, so please make sure student absences are reported by 9:00 a.m. Please use the 24-hour attendance line.
School attendance is not only a good habit, state law requires it. Arizona State Law (15-802.E, 15-803.E) requires every person who has custody of a child between the ages of six and sixteen years shall make sure the child attends school for the full time school is in session unless unable to attend due to illness or another legitimate reason.
To encourage and improve school attendance, Paradise Valley Unified School District 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 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 10 percent (18 days) of the required number of school days per year is consider to have “excessive absences” whether the absence is excused or unexcused.
When a student has five or more unexcused absences or 19 excessive absences (excused or unexcused), the student can be cited to the CUTS Program through the Juvenile Court. The hearing will be held at the Juvenile Court Center. A parent or legal guardian must be present with the student at the time of the hearing. Consequences at the hearing may include the following: required attendance of parent and the child at an education class (to be held on Saturdays), work hours assigned to the child, counseling, etc. The parent will be assessed a $50 Diversion fee. Failure to complete these consequences may result in suspension of your child’s driver's license, or inability to get a driver’s license until their 18th birthday and/or formal court proceedings. It is the parent’s/guardian’s responsibility to ensure their child’s attendance in an approved academic setting. If you fail to take the necessary steps to provide your child with appropriate education you may receive a citation. If convicted, it is a Class 3 misdemeanor.
The education of your child is extremely important to us. This program is another way that Paradise Valley Unified School District is working with the community to ensure a quality education for all students. According to the District Governing Board policy, excessive absences can also result in the withholding of credit or promotion to the next grade.
If a child has an appointment during school hours, the parent must come to the office to sign the child out of school. Do not go directly to classrooms. Teachers may not release students. The office will call for your child to meet you in the office. Students may only leave school with an adult listed on the emergency card. Students may not leave school on their own.
Our school day begins at 8:45 a.m. and it is important that students be in their classrooms and ready to learn. Students who are frequently tardy will receive warning notices and parents will be asked to assist in having their child at school on time each day.