Getting to School

Arrival and Dismissal

School Hours: 8:30 a.m.–3:35 p.m.
Doors Open: 8:10 a.m.
Tardy Bell: 8:35 a.m.

Zarrow is a cell-free zone for all drivers. Drop it and drive - safety first!

Please put phones away while driving on or near campus.  

General Arrival Information

Students should not arrive before 8:10 a.m. unless they are enrolled in Champions Before School Care or are participating in a school-approved club, group, or activity that meets before school. This is a safety matter, as there is no supervision available before 8:10 a.m.

School doors remain locked until 8:10 a.m.

Tulsa Public Schools offers Before- and After-School Care through the Champions program for families who need child care. Fees are based on several factors. For more information, contact 918-833-9574.

Breakfast is served beginning at 8:10 a.m. Students who plan to eat breakfast should arrive before 8:25 a.m. to allow enough time to eat and get to class on time.

Students are considered tardy after 8:35 a.m., unless they are bus riders. Students arriving after 8:35 a.m. must report to the office for a pass before going to class.

Morning Drop-Off

Car riders and walkers may arrive after 8:10 a.m.

Families may park and walk students to the gym door. Please say goodbye outside and allow students to walk to class independently. Families should not walk students to their lockers or classrooms. If a student needs assistance, a staff member will be happy to help.

ONLY bus riders will be allowed to enter through the front doors. All other students should enter through the gym or back track area.

Afternoon Dismissal

Students are dismissed from classrooms at 3:35 p.m.

Please do not arrive before 3:30 p.m. for afternoon pick-up. Arriving early creates significant traffic issues. Drivers who arrive before 3:30 p.m. may be asked to move.

All car line drivers must have their blue Drive Line number clearly visible on the dashboard during dismissal.

Buses must be given priority at all times.

If your child’s pick-up plan changes, please notify the office and complete an updated My Way Home form. For same-day changes, families must call the school before 2:00 p.m. Calls received after 2:00 p.m. may not provide enough time for office staff to notify the teacher and student before dismissal.

Students will be walked to their designated pick-up area. Please make sure your child knows where to meet you.

If your family has a situation that requires additional security at dismissal, please contact the principal or counselor immediately to make a pick-up plan.

Car Drop-Off and Pick-Up Procedures

For the safety of all students and staff, drivers must follow these procedures:

• Remain inside your vehicle at all times.
• Keep your blue Drive Line number clearly visible on the dashboard during afternoon pick-up.
• Make sure your student is ready to exit before entering the car line. Students should have jackets on and backpacks, lunch boxes, and other items ready.
• If your student needs help buckling or unbuckling, or needs extra time to gather belongings, please park and walk your child to the gym door.
• All students must exit from the passenger side of the vehicle.

Pre-K students will enter and dismiss through the gym door in the parking lot.

Kindergarten through 5th grade students will enter and dismiss through the playground entrance on the back track.

Older siblings of Pre-K students will drop off and pick up with Pre-K students at the gym door in the parking lot.

Students will not be dismissed before 3:35 p.m.

Students not picked up by 3:50 p.m. will wait in the office. The adult picking up the student must show an ID and must be listed in PowerSchool as an approved emergency contact.

Students may only be released to adults who are listed and approved in PowerSchool.

Any student not picked up by 4:10 p.m. may be referred to campus police.

Student Check-Out

Only adults authorized in PowerSchool may pick up students from school.

Families must include the names of all approved pick-up adults on enrollment forms and in PowerSchool. Please notify the office immediately if there are changes to your child’s approved pick-up list during the school year.

Phone authorization for student pick-up cannot be accepted.

If there is a restraining order or custody document that affects student pick-up, it must be on file with both the school and the Education Service Center. Each child must be named in the order for it to be valid.

Bus Transportation and Discipline

Students who ride the bus must follow all Tulsa Public Schools transportation policies. These rules are in place for the safety of each student, the bus driver, and everyone on the bus.

All bus riders must have a signed My Way Home form on file in order to ride the bus. Bus riders may not walk home or ride a different bus without a written note from a parent or guardian.

Bus Expectations

A student may be reported by the bus driver and removed from the bus by the transportation department, principal, or designated representative for any of the following reasons:

• Opening or unlocking the emergency door, unless directed by the bus driver
• Leaving their seat while the bus is moving
• Eating or drinking on the bus
• Using offensive or vulgar language
• Showing disrespect to the bus driver
• Throwing objects on the bus
• Fighting
• Damaging or destroying property
• Putting any body part out of the bus window
• Engaging in any other behavior considered dangerous or offensive

Bus Discipline

Students who are reported by the bus driver may receive the following consequences:

• First offense: Warning
• Second offense: One- to three-day suspension from the bus
• Third offense: Three- to five-day suspension from the bus
• Fourth offense: Ten or more days of suspension or long-term suspension from the bus

Depending on the severity of the behavior, steps may be skipped as determined by the transportation department and/or the principal.

A bus suspension means the student may not ride any Tulsa Public Schools bus to or from school during the suspension period. Students are still expected to attend school when suspended from the bus.

Questions or Concerns

Bus referrals are handled by the principal and/or the transportation department.

For questions or concerns about bus behavior or discipline, please contact the principal at 918-746-9180.

For questions about bus schedules or bus drivers, please contact Tulsa Public Schools Transportation at 918-833-8100.

Bus schedules are available from the school office and on the Tulsa Public Schools website

Attendance

Daily attendance is critical to your child’s success in school. Every day matters. When students miss school, they miss important instruction, classroom discussions, practice, and opportunities to build strong learning habits. Families play an essential role in helping students arrive at school on time and attend every day.

Students who arrive after 8:35 a.m. must report to the office to receive a tardy slip before going to class.

Attendance is recorded in half-day increments. To be counted present for a half day, a student must be in attendance for at least two hours.

Students who arrive late or leave early will have their attendance record reflect the actual portion of the school day they were present. Students may be marked tardy, absent for a half day, or absent for a full day depending on the amount of time missed.

All absences must have a written or verbal explanation provided by the parent/guardian within 48 hours of the student’s return to school. Any absence, whether for a partial day or a full day, is considered unexcused unless a doctor’s note is submitted to the office.

Students with ten consecutive unexcused absences will be withdrawn from school.

Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year. Students who are chronically absent will lose their transfer to Zarrow and will be returned to their neighborhood school. Chronic absenteeism may also be grounds for possible retention.

All absences, both excused and unexcused, are included when calculating the required 90% attendance minimum.

For more information regarding truancy and attendance requirements, please refer to Policy 2204: Student Attendance.

Early Release of Students

To pick up your child before the end of the school day (3:35), you must stop in the office and sign your child out. You will be asked to present a photo ID. The office staff will call your child to come to the office. TEACHERS MAY NOT RELEASE STUDENTS TO ANYONE WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE OFFICE. This policy is to protect your child’s safety. Early pick-up should not become a regular practice. Your child misses valuable class instruction and will not receive full educational benefit if you pick him/her up early. Students who frequently miss part or all of the school day will quickly fall behind, making it very difficult for them to be successful.

• If your child cannot come to school, you need to report the absence and the reason for the absence to the school attendance clerk before 8:45 a.m.
• The phone number for the attendance clerk is 918-746-9181.
• If you do not contact the school within 48 hours, the absence will be considered an unexcused/unexplained absence. 
• Students with excessive absences may be retained in addition to losing their transfer to Zarrow. 

Explained absences are granted for the following reasons: 

• Student illness. If the student goes to the doctor, a doctor’s note is required for an excused absence. If the student doesn’t go to the doctor, an excuse from the parent would qualify for an explained absence- not excused. 
• Death in the family- provide the funeral program for an excused absence 
• Family emergencies 
• Religious Holidays 

It is very difficult to call children to the office after 3:00 p.m. Unless you have the very unlikely event of an emergency after 3:00 pm, you will be asked to wait for the regular release time to pick up your child.