Arizona Law regarding Dropouts

Arizona Education Code
15-803. school attendance: exemptions; definitions

1. It is unlawful for any child between six and sixteen years of age to fail to attend school during the hours school is in session, unless either:
1. The child is excused pursuant to (Section) 15-802, subsection D or (Section) 15-901 subsection A, paragraph 6, subdivision (c).
2. The child is accompanied by a parent or a person authorized by a parent.
3. The child is provided with instruction in a home school.
2. A child who is habitually truant or who has excessive absences may be adjudicated an incorrigible child as defined in Section 8-201. Absences may be considered excessive when the number of absent days exceeds ten per cent of the number of required attendance days perscribed in Section 15-802, subsection B, paragraph 1.
3. As used in this section:
1. "Habitually truant" means a truant child who is truant for at least five school days within a school year.
2. "Truant" means an unexcused absence for at least one class period during the day.
3. "Truant child" means a child who is between six and sixteen 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.

15-809. AIMS intervention and dropout prevention program; program termination; definitions

1. The Department Of Education shall establish an AIMS intervention and dropout prevention program. The Department Of Education shall develop application procedures, selection criteria and minimum performance standards for service providers that wish to participate in the program. Service providers that receive monies to participate in the program shall demonstrate that their dropout prevention program is offered in the public schools in this state and meets all of the following requirements:
1. Serves at-risk pupils in grade nine, ten, eleven or twelve.
2. Serves pupils who both:
1. Are most likely to drop out of high school without graduating.
2. Have documented academic, personal, or vocational barriers to success in high school and the workplace.
3. Consists of all of the following for each participating pupil:
1. At least nine consecutive months of academic support, including tutoring and remediation, to ensure that participating pupils meet the academic standards adopted by the State Board Of Education.
2. Comprehensive instruction on Arizona workplace skills adopted by the state board of education.
3. Instruction on leadership and civic duty.
4. Requires pupils who participate in the program to earn credits toward graduation from high school. Pupils who participate in the program shall perform volunteer activities, or community service, or shall be engaged in employment during summer vacation periods. Each pupil who participates in the program shall continue to participate in the program for twelve months after graduation from high school during which the service provider shall provide follow-up assistance that is designed to assist the pupil's transition to postsecondary education, vocational or job training, military service or employment. A participating school district may develop a dual credit course program in order to meet the requirements of this paragraph.
2. The service providers selected to participate in the AIMS intervention and dropout prevention program shall annually report at least the following information to the Department Of Education:
1. The percentage of pupils who participate in the program and who graduate from high school or obtain a general equivalency degree on or within twelve months after the scheduled graduation date for the pupil's classmates.
2. The percentage of pupils who participate in the program, who graduate from high school, or obtain a general equivalency degree, and who begin participation in postsecondary education, employment, vocational or job training, or military service within twelve months after the scheduled graduation date for the pupil's classmates.
3. The percentage of pupils who participate in the program and who are either enrolled full time at a postsecondary education institution, employed full time, enrolled in a full-time vocational or job training program, or on active duty in the armed forces of the United States, or any combination of these activities that in totality amounts to full-time activity, within twelve months after the scheduled graduation date for the pupil's classmates.
4. The percentage of pupils who participate in the program and who pass each AIMS component.
3. The Department of Education shall contract with a private entity to conduct an annual performance audit of the AIMS intervention and dropout prevention program.
4. Beginning in 2001, the Department Of Education shall submit an annual report concerning the AIMS intervention and dropout prevention program to the Governor, the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by December 15 that includes an evaluation of the effectiveness of the program. The Department Of Education shall provide a copy of the report to the Secretary Of State and The Director of The Department of Library, Archives and Public Records.
5. The program established by this section ends on July 1, 2010, pursuant to section 41-3102.
6. For purposes of this section:
1. "AIMS" means the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards test prescribed in section 15-741.
2. "Service providers" means all of the following: 4
1. Public agencies, including schools and school districts, that have demonstrated documented success in delivering dropout prevention services as prescribed in this section.
2. Private entities that are certified by the Department of Education and that have demonstrated documented success in delivering dropout prevention services as prescribed in this section.

Contact Information

Academic Achievement Division
Dropout Prevention/High School Renewal
1535 West Jefferson Street, Bin 21
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
Tel: (602) 542-4575
Fax: (602) 542-3100
Director: John Balentine
John.Balentine@azed.gov

 

This page was last updated on
Friday, October 02, 2009.