ATTENDANCE GUIDELINES
How do I report an absence, and what should I know about tardiness, excused absences, and attendance requirements?
Legacy teachers provide accelerated curriculum and instruction, maximizing the effective use of every minute of instructional time.
Each student enrolled in LTS is expected to be in attendance each day the school is in session, except in the case of illness or an emergency. If a student does not attend school, the parent or guardian must call and leave a message providing the reason for the absence on the school attendance voicemail or email the school attendance email account by 10 a.m. (1:40 p.m. for p.m. kindergarteners) in order for an absence to be considered “excused.” Please note that an email to the classroom teacher will not suffice. Both the attendance voicemail and email accept messages 24 hours a day. Parents/guardians are welcome to call late in the evening or very early in the morning.
Phone calls and text messages will be sent at 9:30 each morning to notify parents/guardians of absent students who are still showing as unexcused. Any absent student who has not had a parent/guardian contact the attendance office by 10 a.m. (1:40 p.m. for p.m. kindergartners) will be coded as “unexcused.” An email will be sent at 10:15 a.m. confirming the child’s absence and subsequent attendance code.
Arizona law provides for compulsory attendance of all children between the ages of six and sixteen (ARS 15-802). The responsibility for compliance with this law belongs to parents. Notices of truancy are given at 5, 10, and 18 days of total absences. At 10 days, a meeting is scheduled between the parent and a member of the LTS administration to discuss further action. Additionally, Arizona law requires that schools process a withdrawal for any student with 10 consecutive unexcused absences [ARS 15-901 (A)(2)].
Tardy Students
Students who are tardy must have a parent/guardian sign them in at the front office and must receive a tardy slip before going to class. Parents/guardians should be aware that tardy students who arrive after a certain time might be marked as absent for half or all of the day, in accordance with state instructional minutes guidelines. Please check with the individual campus registrar for times and details.
Students who arrive late to school without a parent’s/guardian’s signature will be given an unexcused tardy.
Student Early Checkout
Every effort should be made to schedule appointments outside of school hours to avoid missing instructional time. If a child must leave school prior to the end of the school day for a scheduled appointment (e.g., dentist or doctor), parents/guardians are required to come to the office and sign their child out before leaving the campus. Parents/guardians who are not approved for pick-up must provide written (email) permission granting one-time pick-up eligibility. If a person will be picking up regularly, please communicate with the front office to get instructions on how to add them to your student's pick-up list.
Parents/guardians must be ready to present an ID at the front office to verify their identity; Driveline/pick-up signs will not be accepted as a form of ID. For the safety of the students and to minimize front office disruption, the school does not allow students to sign out during the last 15 minutes of the school day unless there is an emergency.
If a student leaves campus without permission, a conference occurs with the principal, teacher, parent/guardian, and student before readmission to classes is granted. Parents/guardians should be aware that students who leave early before a certain time may be marked as absent for half or all of the day, in accordance with state instructional minutes guidelines. Please check with the campus registrar for times and details.
Extended Vacations
All family vacations should be scheduled during school breaks. Per Legacy Governing Board Policy, all absences due to vacations will be considered unexcused absences. Per Arizona state statute, unexcused absences longer than ten consecutive days will result in an automatic withdrawal of the student from school. Students who have been withdrawn will need to re-enroll to gain re-entry to Legacy. If there is a current waitlist, the student will be placed on that waitlist.
Absences and Make-Up Work
All students in grades 1–8* are provided one week to make up all assignments/assessments that are missed due to absences. The teacher will provide make-up work and communicate test make-up dates upon the child’s return. Make-up work not completed by the assigned due date is considered late and will not be accepted.
This timeframe does not include long-term assignments. If a long-term assignment is due during a student's absence, the long-term assignment must be submitted at the beginning of class on the first day the student returns. Students who fail to submit missed assignments/assessments by the expected due date, or upon return for long-term assignments, will earn a zero.
In extreme circumstances, teachers can provide an exemption with notification prior to the one-week due date.
*Make-up work is not required for kindergarten students.
Perfect Attendance Awards
Perfect attendance awards are presented to students at the end-of-the-year awards ceremony. Awards are given to students who had no absences reported to the state information system.