The bill SB1174 amends the definition of "withdrawals" for the purposes of calculating Average Daily Membership (ADM) in Arizona schools. Under current law, withdrawals include students who are formally withdrawn from schools and those absent for ten consecutive school days. The new bill clarifies that withdrawals specifically mean students who are formally withdrawn or absent for ten consecutive school days, while also introducing a new provision that students absent for nine or fewer consecutive school days, including the last day of the school year, are not considered withdrawals and cannot be subtracted from ADM.

Additionally, the bill maintains the requirement for school districts and charter schools to report student absence data to the Arizona Department of Education at least once every sixty days. The effective date of withdrawal remains retroactive to the last day of the student's actual attendance or excused absence. Overall, the changes aim to provide clearer guidelines on how student absences impact school funding calculations.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 15-901
Senate Engrossed Version: 15-901
Chaptered Version: 15-901