< Handbook Overview

Consistent attendance is critical to a student’s success. In order to ensure that a student’s attendance record is accurate, parents must call the school when their child is absent. Students in the Roosevelt School District are expected to attend school daily. If you are encountering challenges that impact your child’s attendance, please contact the school for support.

Every minute a child is out of school is lost learning time. In addition, students arriving late to school may disrupt the learning time of their classmates. To make up for missing work or catch up on learning, students who are late to school may lose privileges or recess time during the school day.

Arizona Revised Statute § 15-803 – School attendance; exemptions; definitions

It is unlawful for any child between six (6) and sixteen (16) years of age to fail to attend school during the hours school is in session unless excused under section ARS § 15- 803.

A child who is habitually truant or has excessive absences may be adjudicated an incorrigible child. Absences exceeding 10% (18 days) of the required attendance days will be considered unexcused absences as prescribed in section ARS §15-803, subsection B, paragraph 1.

As used in this section:

• "Habitually truant" means a truant child who is truant for at least five (5) school days unexcused within a school year.

• "Truant" means an unexcused absence for at least one (1) class period during the day.

• "Truant child" means a child who is between six (6) and sixteen (16) years of age and who is not in attendance at a public or private school during the hours that school is in session unless excused as provided by this section.

Roosevelt School District expects students to be in school so they can focus on learning. The Court Unified Truancy Suppression Program provides schools with a protocol, forms and support from the juvenile probation department.

The protocol encourages the school to work with students exhibiting truant behavior via letters and conferences. If these attempts prove unsuccessful, the school initiates a Direct-Cite Truancy Citation for the student, with a hearing scheduled at the Juvenile Court Facility.

Students who are truant for nineteen (19) days unexcused or more will be cited by the attendance clerk. As part of this citation process, both the parent(s) and the student will be required to attend a hearing with a probation officer from the Juvenile Court Center.

The student and the parent will be assessed one or more of the following consequences:

• Assessment Fee of $50;

• Mandatory education session for students;

• Mandatory education session for parents; and

• Community service hours for students.