Elementary Student Enrollment

We count on parents to ensure that children attend school and arrive on time.

Absences
Parents are expected to inform the school when their children will be absent. If we don’t hear from parents, the school will make reasonable efforts to notify parents within the applicable time periods prescribed by law. Let us know right away if you change phone numbers. Parents should provide notes from doctors and dentists to excuse children for appointments, illnesses or injuries. If parents do not authorize absences within one day after their children return to school, absences are unexcused. Parents who anticipate extended absences should contact the school. If they do not, children are withdrawn from school after missing 10 days in a row.

Tardiness Students are tardy if they are not seated when the bell signals the start of class.

Truancy
Attendance officers may talk to parents about legal consequences of truancy. If students are habitually truant or excessively absent, parents and students may be cited and referred to the court. Students are habitually truant if they have five or more unexcused absences. They are excessively absent if they have 18 or more excused or unexcused absences.

Mesa Public Schools does not provide accident medical/dental coverage for students for injuries/illnesses occurring at school. Parents may voluntarily purchase a student accident insurance plan. Parents are financially responsible for any medical, dental, ambulance, or other health care expenses or transportation home, which might occur as a result of such illness or injury. If your child needs medication or other health services at school, you must make arrangements with the school health office.

Directory Information

In limited situations, the district may disclose “directory information,” which is the student’s name, address, email address and telephone number; the parents’ names, addresses and telephone numbers; the student’s photograph; date and place of birth; class/grade level; enrollment dates; weight and height if the student is a member of an athletic team; awards received; and extracurricular participation. Unless the parent opts out of directory information releases, the district will disclose such information only if the request is from (i) a post-secondary institution such as a college or university; (ii) a law enforcement agency or the Department of Child Safety; or (iii) a vendor selected by the school to provide a school-related service, such as class photos and yearbooks. Under no circumstance will the district provide directory information to a person or entity for a mass marketing purpose.

District News and Media Coverage
Your child may be interviewed, photographed, or audio- or video-recorded by the news media or district staff for print, radio, television, internet content or other medium.

Pawsitive Peers Foundation school dog program (Select schools only)
Your child will have the opportunity to participate in the school dog program in classroom presentations or after school clubs using the Mutt-i-grees® curriculum that incorporates lessons on social and emotional learning, resiliency, empathy and the human-animal bond. 

How to Opt Out

• You may opt out of district and news media coverage or directory information releases by completing an Opt Out form and submitting it to the school office within the first two weeks of school or enrollment, whichever is later.

• You may opt out of student internet access or the Pawsitive Peers Foundation school dog program by completing an Opt Out form and submitting it to the school office anytime during the school year.

• This form must be resubmitted each school year. For more information, see the district’s Information & Guidelines.

The Opt Out form is available at www.mpsaz.org/optout. Please also share your opt out selections with your child’s teacher.

Please fill out the Student Referral Questionnaire to determine if your child might qualify for homeless support services. Once you complete the form, print and return it to your school or save and email it to mckv@mpsaz.org.

Mesa Public Schools shall provide an educational environment that treats all students with dignity and respect. Every homeless student shall have access to the same free and appropriate educational opportunities as students who are not homeless. This commitment to the educational rights of homeless children, youth, and unaccompanied youth, applies to all services, programs, and activities provided or made available.

A student may be considered eligible for services as a “Homeless Child or Youth” under the McKinneyVento Homeless Assistance Act if he or she is presently living:

• In a shelter, temporary shared housing, or transitional living program
• In a hotel/motel, campground, or similar situation due to lack of alternatives
• At a bus station, park, car, or abandoned building 

According to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Act, eligible students have rights to:

Immediate enrollment: Documentation and immunization records cannot serve as a barrier to the enrollment in school.

School Selection: McKinney Vento eligible students have a right to select from the following schools:

• The school he/she attended when permanently housed (School of Origin)
• The school in which he/she was last enrolled (School of Origin)
• The school in the attendance area in which the student currently resides (School of Residency) 

Remain enrolled in his/her selected school for the duration of homelessness, and until the end of the academic year upon which they are permanently housed.

Participate in programs for which they are eligible, including Title I, National School Lunch Program, Head Start, Even Start, etc.

Transportation Services: A McKinney-Vento eligible student attending his/her School of Origin has a right to transportation to and from the School of Origin.

Dispute Resolution: If you disagree with school officials about enrollment, transportation, or fair treatment of a homeless child or youth, you may file a complaint with the school district. The school district must respond and attempt to resolve it quickly. During the dispute, the student must be immediately enrolled in the school and provided transportation until the matter is resolved. The Homeless Liaison will assist you in making decisions, providing notice of any appeal process, and filling out dispute forms.

For more information, refer to https://www.azed.gov/populations-projects/home/homeless/ or contact: 

During the first week of school, your child will be given classroom rules, a student handbook and an Information & Guidelines pamphlet concerning student behavior expectations to bring home and share with you. If you do not receive this from your child within the first two weeks of school, or if you need more information, please contact the school office.

Mesa Public Schools provides your child a laptop or similar device, internet access and G Suite (Google) for Education Core and Additional Services to support learning. Teachers provide guidance and direction on the appropriate use of electronic devices, the internet and G Suite for Education. In accordance with the federal Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), the district uses filters to block access to web content that is inappropriate. District internet is accessible at school; G Suite for Education services are accessible at school and home.

Parents have the opportunity to opt in to weekly reports of their child's internet activity on district electronic devices. Visit the information systems website to opt in. Monitoring student use of technology while at home is the responsibility of the parent.

The parent and student understand that the laptop or similar device loaned to the student remains the property of the district and they are financially responsible in case of damage or loss, per Governing Board Policy JFCB. Parents have the option of purchasing the district's device protection plan (DPP), which minimizes the potential repair and/or replacement costs associated with the device.

For additional information on student laptop use, please refer to the Student Device Handbook.