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Notice of Governing Board Meeting
Pursuant to ARS 38-431.01, notice is hereby given to members of the Gilbert Unified School District Governing Board and the general public that the Gilbert Governing Board will convene a board meeting. Governing Board members will attend either in person or telephonically.
The Governing Board reserves the right to move into executive session for legal advice with its attorneys for any item listed on the agenda, in person or telephonically, pursuant to ARS 38-431.03-A3.
Additional information regarding this agenda can be obtained from the Governing Board Coordinator’s office 24 hours in advance of the board meeting.
Gilbert Unified School District endeavors to make all public meetings accessible to persons with disabilities. With 48 hours advance notice, special assistance can also be provided for sight and/or hearing impaired persons at public meetings. Please call 480.497.3397 to request an accommodation.
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State Law
Regular school attendance is essential for success in school; therefore, absences shall be excused only for specific reasons including illness, bereavement, family emergencies, and observance of major religious holidays of the family's faith.
Before scheduling medical and dental appointments, GPS strongly encourages parents to consult GPS publications or the GPS website for school hours and dates. Also, family vacations should be scheduled when school is not in session.
Student Attendance
Parents will be notified of the Attendance policy at the beginning of each school year or upon enrollment. In the event of an absence, the parent is expected to inform the school within 24 hours. If a student is absent for an extended period of time for medical reasons, documentation from a medical doctor may be required at the discretion of the school administrator. The documentation will outline any limitations to which the student must adhere.
A grade K-6 student will not be considered absent if the student is present at least three-quarters of the school day. However, if the student is absent up to one-quarter of the school day, the student will be considered either tardy or an early departure. To maintain validity of the District's K-6 schools' perfect Attendance Awards program, five tardies or five early departures will count as one absence.
Student absences in grades 7-12 are recorded by period. Junior high and high school students are considered tardy when they are absent up to 10 minutes of a class period. An absence of 10 minutes or more in one class period is considered an absence.
The District will be working in conjunction with the Gilbert Municipal Court's Diversion Program and the Maricopa County Juvenile Court system regarding truancy. These programs, in part, consist of counseling, monitoring of school attendance, and community work. Please refer to Policy JHB regarding the implementation of truancy reporting.
Absence Records
Attendance is the responsibility of the classroom teacher; therefore, completing the attendance verification in a timely and accurate manner is required. Teachers will check and formally record attendance daily at the K-6 schools and each period at the 7-12 schools.
The official attendance document is the District computer system. The teachers may, for their own personal records, record absences in a written grade book.
The school will prepare a daily master list of absences from attendance reports. The attendance reports will be maintained for five years.
Absence Notification
When a school has not been notified of an absence, the school shall make reasonable efforts to notify parents of a student absence in grades K-8 within two hours after the first class in which the student is absent. The school shall make a reasonable effort to notify parents of students in grades 9-12 after the completion of the school day. It is the parents' responsibility to provide the school with the most recent telephone contact number. Parents will be notified in writing of excessive school absences.
The District and its Board, employees, or agents are not liable for failure to notify.
Arrival At and Departure From School
Students in grades K-6 should arrive at school no earlier than 20 minutes before the start of the school day. They are also to return home immediately after the school day unless they are participating in a school-sponsored activity. Secondary students (7-12) should arrive at school no earlier than 30 minutes before the start of the school day.
Revised: June 26, 2007
