Report An Absence
To report an absence, please call 623-455-7465.
PHHS Attendance Policy
Attendance is crucial to educational success. Participation in the curriculum and learning environment is critical to achieving an understanding of the content. Paradise Schools has a four-day school week, making daily attendance crucial. Our expectation for students is that they are in attendance Monday through Thursday. Any appointments (medical or otherwise), vacations, personal days, etc. should be scheduled on Fridays when there is no school.
High school attendance is ultimately the responsibility of the student and their family. Parents and students must recognize the direct relationship that exists between academic success and regular school attendance. Students should remain out of school only when absolutely necessary. Much classroom activity cannot be replicated; class discussion and participation is lost forever to those who are absent.
An “absence” means that a student has missed more than half of one or more of their classes in a school day.
If a student must be absent:
- Parents/guardians must call the office or submit a note to the school office within 24 hours of the absence. Call 623-455-7465 for absences.
- If the absence is for an excused medical or legal appointment, documentation must be submitted to the school office. Documentation must have the student’s full name, date of service, and be an official, signed document from the medical or legal office. Documentation will not be accepted for future appointments.
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All vacations should be scheduled during the break times designated on the PHHS school calendar.
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The student must make up all the work from the time missed. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the teacher outside of class time to obtain all assignments and complete them in the time designated by the teacher; generally, the same number of days missed.
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Students must have a doctor’s note to be excused from participation in physical education classes. The doctor’s note must include an expiration date.
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Students who are absent for more than half of a school day are not eligible for any extracurricular activities that day. If absent on a Thursday, students are not eligible for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday activities.
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Unexcused absences and ditching consequences are outlined in the Student Code of Conduct. See Appendix A
Students are required to attend school on the calendared finals days.
Finals will not be administered early. Finals will not be rescheduled. The administration may consider extenuating circumstances. Documentation may be required. Vacation and travel are not considered extenuating circumstances. A student who does not take the final on the assigned day will receive a zero. Finals are 15% of the student's overall grade.
Excessive Absences
Absences may be considered excessive when a child attends less than 90% of all school days. Arizona State Law requires that parents ensure their children between the ages of six and sixteen attend school. Parents are notified on the 5th and 10th absence per semester. Regardless of the reason for the absence, you and/or your child could be issued a citation for a violation of an Arizona Revised Statue A.R.S. 15-802 or 15-803. The citation would require that the parent/guardian and the child appear in court.
Notification and Compliance
On the 5th absence, per semester per class, parent contact will be made via a letter from the school, email, and/or phone.
On the 10th absence, per semester per class, the student will be put on attendance probation. The parent/guardian will be contacted to meet in person with the Assistant Principal and Attendance Registrar. During this meeting, the student, their parents/guardians, and PHHS staff will put together a plan. This meeting will serve as a formal warning for loss of credit.
On the 10th absence, per semester per class, the student will be put on attendance probation. The parent/guardian will be contacted to meet in person with the Assistant Principal and Attendance Registrar. During this meeting, the student, their parents/guardians, and PHHS staff will put together a plan. This meeting will serve as a formal warning for loss of credit.
When a student reaches 15 absences in a single semester class, the student will lose credit for the class/classes. 15 days = 20% of the semester.
Loss of Credit
Per Arizona Revised Statute 15-802, 15-803, a student who is absent from any given class 10% or more, either excused or unexcused, per semester may not receive academic credit for that class.
Release from School
No student may leave the school during school hours unless they are signed out through the front office by their parent/guardian. The student must check out through the school office. In order to ensure the safety of our students, parents/guardians are required to provide a valid driver's license to be able to sign their student out during regular school hours. Student drivers with a PHHS Parking Pass may sign themselves out only if a legal parent/guardian has emailed the front office, [email protected] from the registered email on file, stating that they are allowing their student to leave campus, the reason, and the time that the student needs to sign out. Emails must be sent no later than 3 hours prior to the time that the student needs to sign themselves out. Emails received within 3 hours of the requested departure time may delay the release of the student.