Arizona Charter Academy Bulldogs ACA

Parent Information

We believe that communication is the key to providing a quality education for your student. A student's education experience will be much more rewarding and beneficial when Parent/Guardians and educators work together on behalf of the student. No one knows your student better than you. We always want to hear from you. We are open to suggestions and ideas. Parent/Guardians concerns are important to us and we want to work as a team to find a solution. Please let the front office schedule a time so that the student learning time is not interrupted during school hours.

Detailed information regarding attendance, discipline, dress code, admission and more, is available in the Student Handbook. The following information is in regards to federal and state programs that Arizona Charter Academy participates and adheres to.

For more information regarding High School graduation requirements, dual credit for college courses and academic overview, please visit our High School Academics page.

Parent/Guardians Right to Know

Parent/Guardians of students in Title I schools are guaranteed annual notification of their "right to know" about teacher qualifications by their school district. That means Parent/Guardians may request and receive from that office information regarding the professional qualifications of the student's classroom teachers, including: (a) whether the teacher is state-certified; (b) whether a teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status; and (c) the baccalaureate degree major of the teacher and any other graduate degree major or certification.

As per No Child Left Behind Statute, the school provides appropriate services based on each student's Title I status.

Title I Progam

Arizona Charter Academy is a schoolwide Title I school. This means that all students at Arizona Charter Academy are Title I students! Title I is a

federally funded program developed to help schools raise the literacy and math levels of students. Teachers, parents, and especially our students

benefit from this unique status. As a Schoolwide Title I school, Arizona Charter Academy is able to offer high quality instruction to ALL children. It is exciting to see ACA's reading and math scores improve each year as a result of the efforts of our staff, parents, and students. In Arizona Charter Academy's School-Wide Model you will see:

A common focus on raising the literacy and mathematic achievement
Classroom teachers planning and working together with the intervention and support team to provide individualized instruction for our highest need students,
Staff using continuous reading and math assessments to determine which instructional model is best for each child.

Arizona Charter Academy is very proud of our highly qualified teachers and staff. Parents may request proof of a teachers/staff qualifications by contacting the school's front office at 623-974-4959. Please contact our school for more information about our Title I School Wide Program.

Title I School-Wide Parent Involvement Policy 2011-2012

FERPA- Family Educational Righs and Privacy Act

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal law designed to protect the privacy of a student's education records. The law applies to all schools which receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. FERPA gives Parent/Guardians certain rights with respect to their children's education records.

These rights transfer to the student, or former student, who has reached the age of 18 or is attending any school beyond the high school level. Students and former students to whom the rights have transferred are called eligible students.

Parent/Guardians or eligible students have the right to inspect and review all of the student's education records maintained by the school. Schools are not required to provide copies of materials in education records unless, for reasons such as great distance, it is impossible for Parent/Guardians or eligible students to inspect the records. Schools may charge a fee for copies.
Parent/Guardians and eligible students have the right to request that a school correct records believed to be inaccurate or misleading. If the school decides not to amend the record, the Parent/Guardians or eligible student then has the right to a formal hearing. After the hearing, if the school still decides not to amend the record, the Parent/Guardians or eligible student has the right to place a statement with the record commenting on the contested information in the record.
Generally, schools must have written permission from the Parent/Guardians or eligible student before releasing ANY information from a student's record. However, the law allows schools to disclose records, without consent, to the following parties:
- School employees who have a need to know
- Other schools to which a student is transferring
- Certain government officials in order to carry out lawful functions
- Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student
- Organizations conducting certain studies for the school
- Accrediting organizations
- Individuals who have obtained court orders or subpoenas
- Persons who need to know in cases of health and safety emergencies; and State and local authorities, within a juvenile justice system, pursuant to specific State law.

Schools may also disclose, without consent, "directory" type information such as a student's name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honors and awards, and dates of attendance. However, schools must tell Parent/Guardians and eligible students about directory information and allow Parent/Guardians and eligible students a reasonable amount of time to request that the school not disclose directory information about them.

Schools must notify Parent/Guardians and eligible students annually of their rights under FERPA. The actual means of notification (special letter, inclusion in a PTA bulletin, student handbook, or newspaper article) is left to the discretion of each school.

IDEA- The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

IDEA is a federal law that protects the rights of students with disabilities. In addition to standard school records, for children with disabilities education records could include evaluation and testing materials, medical and health information, Individualized Education Programs and related notices and consents, progress reports, materials related to disciplinary actions, and mediation agreements. Such information is gathered from a number of sources, including the student's Parent/Guardians and staff of the school of attendance. Also, with Parent/GuardiansGuardianal permission, information may be gathered from additional pertinent sources, such as doctors and other health care providers. This information is collected to assure the child is identified, evaluated, and provided a Free Appropriate Public Education in accordance with state and federal special education laws.

Each agency participating under Part B of IDEA must assure that at all stages of gathering, storing, retaining and disclosing education records to third parties that it complies with the federal confidentiality laws. In addition, the destruction of any education records of a child with a disability must be in accordance with IDEA regulatory requirements.

For additional information or to file a complaint, you may call the federal government at (202) 260-3887 (voice) or 1-800-877-8339 (TDD) OR the Arizona Department of Education (ADE/ESS) at (602) 542-4013. Or you may contact
Family Policy Compliance Office U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20202-5901

Homeless Youth Information

School districts must disseminate notice of homeless children's education rights in schools; family, domestic abuse, and runaway shelters; soup kitchens; and wherever services to homeless children and families are offered. Schools are required to notify Parent/Guardians of homeless children (and unaccompanied youth) of the following rights:

The availability of a local district staff person as a liaison for homeless children.
Immediate enrollment and school participation, even if educational and medical records and proof of residency are not available.
The availability of educational opportunities and related opportunities for homeless students (preschool to age 21), including unaccompanied youth.
Enrollment and transportation rights, including transportation to the school of origin. "School of origin" is defined as the school the child attended when permanently housed or when last enrolled.
Written explanation of why a homeless child is placed other than in a school of origin or school requested by the Parent/Guardians, with the right to appeal within the local dispute resolution process.
Meaningful opportunities for Parent/Guardians to participate in the education of their children