PHOENIX – The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has joined the State Board of Education in an effort to reduce chronic absenteeism in Arizona schools.

Data provided to the board last month by the Helios Foundation shows absenteeism rates skyrocketed for all grade levels from approximately 9% during the 2019-20 school year to 30 percent in the 2022-23 school year.

Arizona defines chronic absence as missing 10 percent or more of the school year for any reason while enrolled at a given school. That results in 18 days missed in a typical 180-day school year assuming a student does not change schools, according to a release from the Arizona Department of Education.

State schools chief Tom Horne and Maricopa County Sheriff Jerry Sheridan are urging law enforcement, the courts, parents and schools to make sure school-aged students are attending school and any violations of state law are promptly addressed by the legal system.

“We have to create a motivation for parents to be sure their children go to school, and when willful violations of the law occur, they are prosecuted, which unfortunately has not always been the case,” Horne said.

“We urge city attorneys to treat truancy cases brought to them as a priority.”

Horne said that one-third of students missing 18 day of school or more is “a real catastrophe and an emergency for our state.”

 Under Arizona law, if parents knowingly and willingly allow their children to miss school they are in violation of a Class 3 misdemeanor. Any certified law enforcement officer in Arizona is empowered to cite parents under the law, the release stated.

“It isn’t safe for young kids to be out of school and wandering the streets,” Sheridan said.

“It’s critical that our kids are in school getting a proper education to prepare them for their future. Our first objective will be to determine if the parents need help in ensuring their children are attending school.”

Dysart Unified School District Superintendent John Croteau said “consistent attendance is key to academic achievement, personal growth and building strong habits for the future.

“Our absenteeism policy is designed to support students and families in overcoming barriers to regular attendance.”

Under Arizona law in A.R.S. 15-802, all children between the ages of 6 and 16 years are mandated to attend an academic school where they learn, at a minimum, reading, grammar, math, social studies and science.

“A child is considered truant when they have an unexcused absence for at least one class period during the school day or they are not in attendance at school during normal school hours, except as allowed by statute. They are habitually truant if they have missed at least 5 school days within the school year,” the release stated.

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