Welcome, Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences Families

Purpose, mission, Christian identity, admissions, and the role of this handbook

Purpose and Scope

This Student-Parent Handbook is the primary family-facing policy guide for Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences for the 2026-2027 school year. It applies to enrolled students and their parents or legal guardians. Staff employment, contractor, and personnel standards are maintained separately. This handbook is not itself an enrollment or tuition contract.

The handbook explains how Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences operates and what families can expect from the school. It does not replace the Enrollment & Tuition Agreement, course directions, the published school calendar, or other documents that expressly govern a specific service or transaction.

The enrollment process identifies the handbook version in effect when a student enrolls and requires parent or guardian acknowledgement of that version. Financial obligations and other contractual enrollment terms are governed by the separate Enrollment & Tuition Agreement.

Handbook Status and Updates

Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences may revise this handbook when a change is needed for legal compliance, safety, academic quality, technology, or school operations. The current version will be identified by a version number, and material changes will be communicated through the parent or guardian email on file, Moodle, or another designated school channel.

A handbook update does not by itself change financial or contractual terms contained in a separately executed Enrollment & Tuition Agreement. Families are responsible for keeping current contact information on file.

School Model

Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences is a fully online private K-12 Christian school. Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences develops and maintains its own curriculum and provides instruction, assessment, feedback, academic expectations, and school communication. Moodle is the primary learning management system. The Almanac is the supplemental practice program embedded into the course experience.

Students complete much of their work flexibly within a structured weekly and term schedule. Flexibility does not remove deadlines, required participation, assessment windows, or other published course expectations.

Educational Philosophy

Christian faith and academic study belong together at Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences. Education should form the mind, strengthen character, cultivate wise judgment, and prepare students to use knowledge responsibly. Students are expected to read carefully, ask meaningful questions, reason from evidence, communicate with clarity, and approach difficult work with curiosity, discipline, humility, and integrity.

Classical education provides a progression from building knowledge, to examining ideas carefully, to communicating and applying knowledge with increasing independence. Technology serves this education rather than becoming its purpose.

Mission and Vision

Mission: Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences exists to help students grow in knowledge, wisdom, character, and faith through a Christian K-12 education that values enduring ideas, careful reasoning, strong communication, and the study of the arts and sciences within a biblical understanding of truth.

Vision: Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences seeks to develop thoughtful learners who can use what they know with integrity, responsibility, sound judgment, and service to others.

Christian Identity and Statement of Faith

Christian faith is foundational to the mission, curriculum, educational philosophy, school culture, and expectations of Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences. The school teaches and operates from a biblical worldview and may address academic, cultural, ethical, and personal questions from that perspective.

The current published Statement of Faith provides the fuller description of the religious beliefs that guide Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences. Families are not required by this handbook to personally affirm every doctrinal statement. Enrollment does require an understanding that the school will teach, communicate, and operate consistently with its published Christian beliefs.

Christian Living. Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences teaches that Christian living calls for integrity, humility, self-control, charity, truthfulness, faithfulness, respect for others, and conduct consistent with Scripture. School conduct policies focus on behavior that materially affects learning, safety, academic integrity, school operations, or the ability of Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences to carry out its Christian educational mission.

Read the current Statement of Faith

Christian Mission, Enrollment, and Continued Participation

Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences is a private Christian school. Families do not need to share every doctrinal conclusion of the school, but they must be willing for the school to provide its educational program as a Christian institution. This includes allowing Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences to teach, communicate, and operate according to its published Statement of Faith and educational philosophy.

Respectful questions, discussion, and good-faith disagreement are not misconduct. Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences does not require a family to conceal or renounce personal beliefs in order to ask questions or participate respectfully in the school community.

Admission or continued enrollment may be denied or discontinued, consistent with applicable law and the Enrollment & Tuition Agreement, when the school cannot appropriately provide the program requested or when serious or repeated conduct materially interferes with student learning, safety, academic integrity, school operations, required participation, financial obligations, or the ability of Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences to carry out its educational mission. Material misrepresentation during enrollment may also affect enrollment status.

Enrollment and conduct decisions will be based on legitimate school considerations and the facts of the individual situation. Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences will apply applicable nondiscrimination requirements and retains rights, protections, and exemptions available to private religious educational institutions under applicable law. Nothing in this handbook is intended to expand or waive a legal right or obligation.

Nondiscrimination Statement

Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences admits students of any race, color, national origin, and ethnic origin to the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally made available to students at the school. Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship programs, or other school-administered programs. Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences will comply with other nondiscrimination requirements that apply to it while retaining rights available to private religious schools under applicable law.

Enrollment review, Arizona responsibilities, attendance, withdrawal, and school records

Enrollment Review and Placement

Enrollment is reviewed to determine whether Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences can appropriately serve the student within the program and to confirm grade or course placement. The school may consider enrollment information, prior coursework, writing samples, assessment information, student records, or a placement activity when reasonably needed.

When a student has a learning, accessibility, communication, behavioral, or health need that may materially affect participation, families are encouraged to communicate with Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences during enrollment or as soon as the need becomes known. The purpose of this conversation is to determine appropriate placement and what support the school can reasonably provide.

Arizona Family Attendance and Filing Responsibilities

Arizona law generally requires children between ages six and sixteen to attend school and requires the person with custody of the child to ensure full-time attendance in a lawful educational option. A.R.S. § 15-802 also addresses private-school affidavit requirements and separate reporting provisions for Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account participation. Families are responsible for completing any parent or county filing that applies to their circumstances unless Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences expressly confirms in writing that the school will complete a particular filing on the family's behalf.

Because Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences is fully online, students may complete work at different times of day. The expectation of consistent participation while school is in session remains.

Arizona Proof of Identity and Age Notice

Required written notice under A.R.S. § 15-828

When a student enrolls for the first time at Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences, the person enrolling the student must provide acceptable proof of the student's identity and age within 30 days. A certified copy of the student's birth certificate is the usual form of proof. Arizona law also permits other reliable proof when a birth certificate is not available, together with an affidavit explaining the inability to provide a copy of the birth certificate.

If the required proof is not provided within 30 days, Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences will provide the written notice required by Arizona law. If the documentation remains unavailable after the additional statutory period, Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences will follow the reporting procedure required by A.R.S. § 15-828.

Transfer Records

Within 10 school days after enrolling a transfer student, Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences will request the student's certified record directly from the previous school as required by A.R.S. § 15-828. Arizona law requires the prior school to forward the record within 10 school days after receiving the request. A prior school may not refuse the required transfer because money is owed.

Families should provide accurate previous-school information during enrollment so the required request can be sent promptly. Sensitive student records should be submitted only through the secure records process designated by Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Calendar, Time Zone, and School Working Days

The 2026-2027 school year begins September 14, 2026 and ends May 28, 2027. Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences operates on Arizona time, America/Phoenix. Published school working days are Monday through Friday except school closures identified on the current calendar. Academic deadlines follow the date and time displayed in Moodle or the applicable course instructions.

Attendance and Participation

Attendance in a flexible online program is demonstrated through meaningful academic participation. Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences may consider Moodle activity, completed lessons, assignment submissions, required discussions, assessments, scheduled check-ins, and other course participation when documenting attendance and engagement.

A login by itself does not demonstrate meaningful participation. Students are expected to engage consistently throughout the school week. Families should communicate promptly when illness, emergency, technology failure, or another significant circumstance interferes with participation.

Withdrawal

A parent or legal guardian may request withdrawal in writing through the designated enrollment or records process of Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences. The effective withdrawal date, access to school systems, final grades, financial responsibility, refunds, and other contractual consequences are governed by the Enrollment & Tuition Agreement and applicable law.

Withdrawal does not prevent Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences from completing a school-to-school records transfer required by Arizona law.

Course design, grades, assessment, academic support, integrity, and responsible technology use

The Learning Model

Courses at Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences are designed to move students from first exposure to genuine understanding through four connected stages.

Learn

Students encounter new ideas through direct instruction, reading, guided notes, demonstrations, Scripture, primary sources, and carefully selected academic materials.

Practice

Assignments and The Almanac give students repeated opportunities to apply skills, work through problems, annotate texts, write, create, and strengthen understanding.

Discuss

Questions and Socratic discussion encourage students to explain their thinking, listen carefully, consider other perspectives, and support ideas with evidence.

Demonstrate

Quizzes, exams, written work, projects, presentations, and other assessments show what the student can remember, understand, apply, and communicate.

Curriculum, Moodle, and The Almanac

Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences develops and maintains its own K-12 curriculum. Courses may incorporate original school materials, Scripture, primary sources, public-domain works, open educational resources, licensed materials, books, and other carefully selected resources. Outside resources support the curriculum; they do not replace the curriculum of Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Moodle is the primary learning management system. Students use Moodle to access courses, lessons, assignments, assessments, announcements, feedback, grades, and other course resources. The Moodle gradebook is the working course gradebook, while official report cards and transcripts are maintained as institutional records.

The Almanac is the supplemental practice program of Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences. It supports the Practice stage by giving students lesson-aligned review, examples, prompts, and guided practice before formal assessment. The Almanac supplements the curriculum and Moodle course experience; it does not replace required instruction, graded assignments, formal assessment, or the official academic record.

Classical Progression by Grade Band

Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric describe how academic expectations change as students mature. They are not separate curricula.

• Kindergarten through Grade 5: build strong foundations in language, reading, mathematics, knowledge, curiosity, memory, and learning habits.
• Grades 6 through 8: strengthen reasoning, comparison, evidence, organization, academic independence, and the ability to explain why an answer or argument is sound.
• Grades 9 through 12: develop research, synthesis, writing, speaking, argument, and responsible communication for an audience.

Course Pacing, Deadlines, and Extensions

The program is flexible within a structured school calendar. Students are expected to complete work by posted deadlines and to communicate early when help is needed. Course-specific late-work and revision rules are provided in Moodle or the assignment directions.

Reasonable extensions may be approved for illness, emergency, an approved support plan, or another circumstance accepted by the school. Requests should be made as soon as practical.

Grades and Progress Reporting

Moodle contains the working course gradebook. Each course identifies the assignments, assessments, categories, and weighting used to calculate grades. Unless a course or grade band publishes a different scale, percentage grades are interpreted as follows: A, 90-100; B, 80-89; C, 70-79; D, 60-69; F, below 60.

Families receive progress information through Moodle and official school reports. Students and families should review feedback regularly and contact Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences when a grade, missing assignment, or progress concern appears incorrect. The current calendar identifies the scheduled progress-report and report-card periods.

Academic Support and Probation

When a pattern of missing work, low performance, poor participation, or another academic concern develops, Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences will ordinarily communicate with the family and seek a practical plan for improvement before considering a significant change in enrollment status.

An academic support or probation plan may identify specific expectations for student participation, assignment completion, family monitoring, communication, use of support resources, and a date for review. The plan is intended to give the student a reasonable opportunity to improve. If concerns continue despite support and communication, Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences may recommend a change in placement, additional outside support, withdrawal, or discontinuation of enrollment consistent with the Enrollment & Tuition Agreement and applicable law.

Assessment and Proctoring

Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences uses quizzes, exams, written work, projects, presentations, discussion, and other course-appropriate assessments to measure learning. Diagnostic or nationally normed assessments may also be used when appropriate.

Certain assessments may require supervision or verification by a Learning Steward or another adult approved by Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences. When supervision is required, the directions will identify the conditions. A proctor may help establish appropriate testing conditions and confirm authorized materials, but may not explain questions, supply answers or hints, complete work for the student, or permit unauthorized resources.

Academic Integrity

Students must submit work that honestly represents their own learning. Academic dishonesty includes plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, impersonation, copying another person's work, falsifying records, obtaining assessment answers improperly, or submitting work created by another person or automated tool as the student's own when the assignment does not permit that assistance.

• Students must cite or credit sources when required.
• Parents and Learning Stewards may support understanding and organization, but they may not complete graded work for the student.
• The level of permitted assistance may differ by assignment. When directions are unclear, the student should ask before submitting.

Academic Integrity Review

When academic dishonesty is suspected, Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences will review the concern before making a final finding. The student and parent or legal guardian will ordinarily have an opportunity to provide relevant information. The review may consider the student's age and academic maturity, assignment directions, prior work, available records, and other reasonably relevant evidence.

Automated plagiarism or AI-detection tools, when used, are treated as one source of information and not as conclusive proof by themselves. If dishonesty is confirmed, the response may include instruction or reteaching, resubmission, reduced or zero credit, an academic integrity plan, probation, or dismissal depending on seriousness and repetition. If the concern is not substantiated, it will not be recorded as a confirmed violation.

Artificial Intelligence and Automated Learning Tools

The Almanac is a school-approved supplemental practice program and may be used as directed in a course. Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences may also authorize other digital or AI-enabled tools for practice, feedback, organization, accessibility, or another defined educational purpose.

General-purpose generative AI may not be used to generate, rewrite, solve, or substantially produce work submitted as the student's own unless the assignment expressly authorizes that use. When AI use is permitted, students must follow the stated limits and any disclosure or citation requirements. Technology may support learning, but students remain responsible for the thinking, writing, problem solving, and demonstration of understanding required by the course.

Respectful participation, student communication, discipline, and family conduct

Student Conduct

Students are expected to conduct themselves with honesty, diligence, respect, humility, and care for others. These expectations apply in coursework, school email, Moodle, The Almanac, discussion spaces, video meetings, school-sponsored events, and other school-controlled environments.

• Use respectful language and respond appropriately to teachers, staff, and other students.
• Protect personal and school account credentials and do not impersonate another person.
• Follow academic integrity, technology, privacy, and intellectual-property rules.
• Do not threaten, harass, bully, intimidate, or intentionally disrupt another person's participation in school.
• Follow reasonable teacher and administrator directions related to safety, learning, and school operations.

Harassment, Bullying, and Retaliation

Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences prohibits harassment, bullying, intimidation, and retaliation when conduct occurs through school systems, during school-sponsored activities, or when off-platform conduct has a substantial and direct effect on the learning environment or student safety. Reports will be reviewed promptly and as confidentially as practical.

Retaliation against a person who makes a good-faith report or participates in a school review is prohibited. Urgent safety concerns should be reported to appropriate emergency or law-enforcement services first, with school administration notified when the concern is connected to school.

Student-to-Student and Outside Communication

Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences encourages healthy, age-appropriate relationships among students. School personnel supervise student interaction only within school-managed or school-sponsored spaces to the extent reasonably practical.

Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences does not routinely monitor private text messages, personal social media, private gaming or chat services, or other communications that occur outside school-managed systems. Parents and legal guardians remain responsible for age-appropriate supervision of their child's private online relationships and accounts. Off-platform conduct may still be addressed by Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences when it creates a substantial and direct school safety or learning concern.

Discipline and Family Response Procedure

Discipline is used to protect safety, preserve an orderly learning environment, and help students learn from misconduct. Responses are based on seriousness, frequency, context, and impact and may include reminders, reteaching, parent contact, loss of privileges, academic consequences, behavior plans, probation, temporary removal from an activity, or dismissal.

Before a significant disciplinary decision is finalized, the parent or guardian will ordinarily receive notice of the concern and a reasonable opportunity to provide relevant information. Immediate temporary action may be taken when necessary for safety or to prevent serious disruption. A parent or guardian may request administrative review of a significant decision within five school working days after notice.

Parent and Guardian Conduct

Parents and legal guardians are expected to communicate with staff, students, and other families respectfully and in a manner consistent with a productive Christian school partnership. Disagreement may be expressed firmly without hostility, threats, harassment, repeated abusive communication, or intentional disruption of school operations.

When a communication becomes unproductive, Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences may require that future communication occur through a designated administrator or a scheduled meeting. Serious or repeated conduct that materially disrupts the school relationship may affect continued enrollment, consistent with applicable law and the Enrollment & Tuition Agreement.

What Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences, families, and students can expect from one another

Family Partnership Agreement

Education works best when the school and family understand what they can reasonably expect from one another. Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences therefore states its responsibilities alongside the responsibilities of Learning Stewards and students. Parents and legal guardians confirm their commitment to these expectations through the enrollment process.

These responsibilities describe the ordinary school partnership. They do not replace the separate Enrollment & Tuition Agreement and do not create financial obligations beyond those stated in that agreement.

Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences Responsibilities

• develop and maintain the school curriculum and organize courses through Moodle;
• provide instruction, assessment, academic expectations, feedback, and official progress reporting;
• provide access to The Almanac as supplemental practice when assigned;
• communicate significant academic, attendance, behavior, or support concerns to families;
• address students with dignity and avoid humiliating or demeaning treatment;
• provide reasonable guidance for the use of school technology and platforms;
• protect student information through reasonable school practices and secure record-handling procedures; and
• apply school policies in good faith and communicate material policy changes through official channels.

Learning Steward Responsibilities

• provide a stable home routine and age-appropriate supervision for school work;
• ensure the student has the required computer, reliable internet access, and school-use email access;
• help the student remain organized and aware of deadlines without completing graded work for the student;
• review Moodle progress and school communication regularly, ordinarily at least weekly;
• communicate promptly when illness, technology failure, family circumstances, or a support need is affecting participation;
• provide assessment supervision or verification when a course expressly requires it;
• keep restricted answer keys, teacher materials, and other secure resources inaccessible to students unless access is authorized; and
• communicate respectfully with school personnel and raise concerns through the school concern-resolution process.

Student Responsibilities

• participate consistently and complete assigned work with honest effort;
• check Moodle and school communication at an age-appropriate level;
• ask for help when directions, feedback, or course material are not understood;
• use The Almanac and other approved supports as directed without using them to avoid required thinking;
• protect school accounts and use technology responsibly;
• communicate respectfully with teachers, staff, and other students; and
• follow academic integrity, assessment, conduct, and course-specific expectations.

Progress Monitoring and Communication

Families should review Moodle grades, missing work, and school feedback regularly. When a student begins to struggle, early communication is more useful than waiting until the end of a term. Teachers and staff should likewise communicate meaningful concerns to the family within a reasonable period.

Because email can sometimes create misunderstanding in complex or sensitive situations, Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences may ask families to move a discussion to a scheduled phone or video conversation when that format is more likely to resolve the concern clearly and respectfully.

Accessibility and Individual Student Support

Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences seeks to make its online program reasonably accessible and to consider school-based supports compatible with the nature, academic standards, staffing, and resources of the program. Families should contact the school when a learning, communication, accessibility, or health need may materially affect participation. A diagnosis is not required simply to begin a conversation about support.

An IEP, 504 plan, evaluation, or other prior-school document may help Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences understand a student and consider support, but a prior public-school plan does not automatically become a plan of Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences or require identical services in the private-school setting. Agreed school-based supports may be documented in an internal Student Support Plan. Families seeking public evaluation or publicly funded special education services should contact the appropriate public educational agency.

Immunization and Health Documentation

Arizona immunization law applies to public, private, and parochial K-12 schools, and current Arizona Department of Health Services guidance addresses online school programs. Because Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences is fully online, the school follows requirements and guidance that apply to online students rather than treating every remote student as though the student physically attends a school facility.

Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences may request immunization information through the secure student-records process for compliance, planning, or future in-person participation. If a student becomes subject to a documentation requirement because of physical attendance or another circumstance governed by Arizona law, Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences will follow applicable Arizona requirements, including available exemptions and current Arizona Department of Health Services guidance.

Child Safety and Mandatory Reporting

Student safety concerns are taken seriously. School personnel will follow mandatory-reporting duties that apply under Arizona law, including A.R.S. § 13-3620. A school employee may be required to report suspected abuse or neglect directly to the appropriate authority and may not be able to keep such information confidential from legally required reporting channels.

Required technology, platform readiness, account security, course materials, recordings, and student information

Technology Requirements

Each enrolled student needs regular access to a computer capable of using Moodle, The Almanac, and other approved course resources; reliable Wi-Fi or other dependable internet access; and a personal school-use email address monitored by a parent or guardian when appropriate for the student's age. Specific courses or assessments may require an additional tool, and Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences will communicate that requirement in advance.

Families are responsible for maintaining reasonable home technology access. When a significant outage or technical failure interferes with school work, the family should notify Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences promptly rather than allowing missing work to accumulate.

Onboarding and Platform Readiness

Before the school year begins, families are expected to complete required onboarding steps and verify access to Moodle, The Almanac, school email, and any other required systems. Students and Learning Stewards should become familiar with where assignments, deadlines, feedback, announcements, and support information are located.

Families should report login or access problems promptly. Technology questions should be raised early enough for the school to provide reasonable guidance before a deadline or assessment is missed.

Accounts and Digital Citizenship

• Students must use only accounts assigned or authorized for them.
• Passwords, access codes, and private course links must not be shared with unauthorized people.
• Students may not attempt to bypass security controls, access another person's records, disrupt systems, or introduce malicious software.
• Moodle, The Almanac, school email, and other authorized systems may be logged or reviewed for security, academic integrity, support, and school operations consistent with applicable law and school privacy practices.

Course Materials and Intellectual Property

The curriculum structure, original course content, original assessments, instructional materials, graphics, and other original resources developed by Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences are intellectual property of Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences unless otherwise identified. Third-party texts, open educational resources, public-domain works, licensed materials, and other outside resources remain subject to the rights and terms that apply to those resources.

Materials provided through Moodle, The Almanac, or another authorized course system are for educational use by enrolled students and families and may not be republished, sold, publicly posted, or distributed without permission from Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences or the applicable rights holder.

Recordings and Student Media

Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences may record school-sponsored instructional or support sessions for internal educational, accessibility, safety, or quality purposes when appropriate notice is provided. Students and families may not record, rebroadcast, or distribute school sessions or another participant's image, voice, or work without authorization.

Public marketing or promotional use by Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences of an identifiable student's photograph, video, voice, or work is governed by separate optional media permission. Media permission is not a condition of enrollment unless a specific optional activity requires separate consent.

Student Records and Privacy

Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences collects and maintains information reasonably necessary for enrollment, instruction, assessment, communication, student support, safety, finance, records, and legal compliance. Student information may be processed through Moodle, The Almanac, school email, records systems, and other approved educational services. Access is limited to personnel and service providers who need the information to perform authorized school functions.

Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences does not sell student personal information or authorize its use for unrelated targeted advertising. The school uses reasonable administrative, technical, and contractual safeguards intended to protect student information and limits information shared with providers to what is reasonably needed for the school-authorized purpose.

Parents and legal guardians may request access to, correction of, or copies of student records through the records process of Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences, subject to identity verification, applicable law, and reasonable administrative procedures. Student information may be disclosed with parent or legal guardian authorization, for authorized school functions, when reasonably necessary to protect health or safety, in response to a lawful request, or as otherwise required or permitted by law.

Protect sensitive records

Birth certificates, immunization records, evaluation reports, court orders, and similar documents may contain sensitive information. Families should use the secure submission method approved by Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences. Social Security numbers, bank account information, and payment card information should not be submitted through a general school form or ordinary email unless specifically required through a secure process.

Published tuition information, the separate enrollment agreement, and family concern resolution

Tuition and Arizona ESA

For the 2026-2027 school year, published tuition is $7,200 per student, per academic year. Eligible families may use available Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account funds toward qualifying private-school tuition expenses. ESA eligibility, award amounts, funding schedules, and allowable expenses are determined by the Arizona Department of Education, not by Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Families remain responsible for any amount owed under the Enrollment & Tuition Agreement that is not covered by available ESA funds or another approved payment source.

Enrollment & Tuition Agreement Controls

Payment due dates, payment arrangements, refunds, cancellation terms, financial responsibility after withdrawal, consequences of nonpayment, and any collection or dispute-resolution terms are governed by the Enrollment & Tuition Agreement for the applicable school year. This handbook intentionally does not duplicate those contractual provisions.

General website descriptions are informational and do not amend a signed Enrollment & Tuition Agreement. Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences will not withhold a student record when Arizona law requires a school-to-school transfer notwithstanding an unpaid balance.

Addressing Concerns

Porter Hill Academy of Arts and Sciences encourages concerns to be raised early, respectfully, and at the lowest appropriate level. Most ordinary concerns are best resolved through direct communication with the teacher or staff member closest to the issue.

1. When practical, contact the teacher or staff member most directly connected to the concern.
2. If the concern is unresolved or involves a broader school policy, contact administration with enough information for meaningful review.
3. For a significant unresolved matter, a parent or legal guardian may request final internal review by the Head of School.

Families may raise concerns in good faith without retaliation. Emergency reporting, mandatory reporting, statutory deadlines, and dispute-resolution terms in a separate Enrollment & Tuition Agreement are handled through the process that applies to those matters.