HB 2748
Initials CH/SJ Page 1 Education
ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Fifty-sixth Legislature
First Regular Session
HB 2748: public schools; student discipline; absenteeism
Sponsor: Representative Terech, LD 4
Committee on Education
Overview
Prohibits a charter school or school district from suspending a student for absenteeism.
History
For a school district, all cases of suspension must be for good cause and reported to the school
district governing board (governing board) within five days. The authority to suspend a student is
vested in the school district superintendent, principal or other school officials granted this power
by the governing board.
A governing board must prescribe rules for the discipline, suspension and expulsion of students
that are consistent with a student's constitutional rights. These rules must include penalties for
excessive absenteeism, including failure in a subject, failure to pass a grade, suspension or
expulsion. However, students who have satisfied course requirements and are absent due to
illness or accidents may not be subjected to these penalties. Statute also requires a governing
board to have a notice and hearing procedure for suspensions exceeding 10 days, procedures
for readmitting students suspended or expelled for more than 10 days and procedures to appeal
the suspension of a student exceeding 10 days if the suspension decision was not made by the
governing board (A.R.S. § 15-843)
A child between the ages of 6 and 16 must attend school during school hours unless they meet
statutory criteria for excusal. Absences may be considered excessive when the number of absent
days (including excused and unexcused absences) exceed 10% of the number of attendance
days (A.R.S. §§ 15-802, 15-803). Arizona Department of Education (ADE) guidelines note that
excused absences due to out-of-school suspensions may not exceed 10% of the instructional
days scheduled for the school year (ADE School Finance Manual).
Provisions
1. Prohibits a charter school from suspending a student for an unexcused absence or absences.
(Sec. 1)
2. Removes suspension from the penalties a school district may impose for excessive student
absenteeism and specifies suspension may not be solely based on a student's absenteeism.
(Sec. 2)
3. Makes technical changes. (Sec. 2)
☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal Note