Attendance

Attendance - Arizona Law

The state of Arizona requires that all students attend school 90 percent of the school year. PVSchools students attend school 180 days per year, which means that an SMHS student has nine (9) sick days a semester. When a student reaches nine absences a semester, a doctor’s note may be required to excuse any further absences. A student that is absent more than 10 percent (18 days) of the required number of school days per year is considered to have “excessive absences,” whether the absence is excused or unexcused. An absence is defined as a minimum of one missed class period per day.

A student whose absences may have materially affected academic progress may fail that course, receive a lower grade, or be dropped from the course. Students must carry a minimum of four classes in order to be enrolled as a full-time student.

When a student has five (5) or more unexcused absences, the student can be cited to a Court Unified Truancy Suppression Program (C.U.T.S.) and cited $50 assessment fee. Consequences through the Maricopa County Juvenile Court can include suspension of student’s driver’s license or inability to get a driver’s license until a student’s eighteenth birthday and/or formal court proceedings.

Bell Schedule

Regular Schedule

Period	Time
Period 1	7:30 - 8:26 a.m.
Period 2	8:33 - 9:29 a.m.
Period 3	9:36 - 10:37 a.m.
Period 4	10:44 - 11:40 a.m.
Lunch	11:40 - 12:10 p.m.
Period 6	12:17 - 1:10 p.m.
Period 7	1:17 - 2:10 p.m.

Early Release Schedule

Period	Time
Period 1	7:30 - 8:05 a.m.
Period 2	8:11 - 8:46 a.m.
Period 3	8:52 - 9:27 a.m.
Period 4	9:33 - 10:08 a.m.
Period 6	10:14 - 10:49 a.m.
Period 7	10:55 - 11:30 a.m.

 

Shadow Mountain Attendance

Regular attendance is an essential part of your child’s learning process and it is key in their pursuit of a quality education. Students should be out of school only when absolutely necessary since much of the classroom activity cannot be made up. The benefit of lectures, discussion, and participation is lost forever to those who are absent. Attendance is the responsibility of both the students and parents.

When do I call if my child is absent?

A parent must call the day of absence. If no call is received, the attendance office will call home that evening using the auto-dialer to your home number. A parent must call within 24 hours of the absence to excuse the absence. (For example, if son or daughter is absent on a Monday, we need a call by 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday). Please be aware that the law defines “truant” as an unexcused absence for at least one class period during the day. Therefore, parent communication regarding absences is very important.

What happens if there is no call to excuse the absence by 2:00 p.m.?

The absence becomes unexcused or marked as a truancy. If a student accumulates five truancies and is under 16 years old, they may be cited into C.U.T.S. and fined a $50 assessment fee. Students over 16 may be dropped with a failing grade and placed in an alternative class. Students will not be given credit for work missed during truancies.

How many excused absences can a student have?

A student can accumulate nine excused absences per semester and 18 excused absences for the entire school year. Any additional absences after nine per semester will require a doctor’s excuse note and are considered excessively absent. If no note is given, the absence turns into a truancy on the fifth unverified absence, the student may lose credit in that class. Credit will not be given for work missed when a student is marked truant.

A student that is absent more than 10 percent (18 days) of the required number of school days per year is considered to have “excessive absences” whether the absence is excused or unexcused.

How do I know how many absences my child has incurred?

Call one of the attendance lines listed above. They are available 24 hours a day. Monitor your child’s attendance and timeliness online by logging into Infinite Campus. Verify the number our automated dialer uses to call home for school communication so the auto-dialer calls are received. Please call the Attendance Office before there is a problem.

What happens if my child is late for their first-hour class?

School begins at 7:30 a.m. If your child arrives after 7:30 a.m. and before 7:40 a.m., your child is to go to the tardy table at the main gate by the reception. Students will receive a pass to class and marked tardy. This does NOT excuse them from being tardy. The only acceptable excuses for tardies are medical, legal, or dental. Parent phone calls will not excuse the tardy. If your child arrives after 7:40 a.m., they are marked absent and sent to class. In the case of a late bus, students will be given a pass to class without penalty.

How does the tardy policy work for classes other than first-hour class?

Students have seven minutes to get to class. If they are late, they report to class and are marked tardy. The Dean of Students will run a bi-weekly report to determine the students who have accumulated three or more tardies in a semester. Those students will meet with the Dean of Students and earn a consequence. If students arrive 10 minutes after the tardy bell without a pass, they will be marked truant. Truancy consequences then apply (see above).

When do tardies achieve a consequence?

After three events of tardiness, students will be assigned a progression of consequences including lunch detentions, after-school detentions and in school suspension.

How are tardies counted?

Tardies are totaled on a per-semester basis and are cumulative, counting all class periods. On the eighth (8th) tardy, a student may be placed on an attendance contract for closer monitoring. The attendance contract remains in effect for the entire school year.