Terms Used In Arizona Laws > Title 15 > Chapter 5 - School Employees

• Administrator: means any school district administrator except a school principal who devotes at least fifty percent of the principal's time to classroom teaching. See Arizona Laws 15-501
• Adult: means a person who has attained eighteen years of age. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
• Association: means every association to which this chapter applies as defined in the section concerning scope of chapter. See Arizona Laws 6-401
• Certificated teacher: means a person who holds a certificate from the state board of education to work in the schools of this state and who is employed under contract in a school district in a position that requires certification except a psychologist or an administrator who devotes at least fifty percent of the person's time to classroom teaching. See Arizona Laws 15-501
• Charter school: means a public school established by contract with the state board of education, the state board for charter schools, a university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents, a community college district or a group of community college districts pursuant to article 8 of this chapter to provide learning that will improve pupil achievement. See Arizona Laws 15-101
• Common school district: means a political subdivision of this state offering instruction to students in programs for preschool children with disabilities and kindergarten programs and either:

  (a) Grades one through eight. See Arizona Laws 15-901

• Competency: means a demonstrated ability in a skill at a specified performance level. See Arizona Laws 15-101
• Continuing association: means the association that continues to exist after a merger of associations has been effected. See Arizona Laws 6-401
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Course: means organized subject matter in which instruction is offered within a given period of time and for which credit toward promotion, graduation or certification is usually given. See Arizona Laws 15-101
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Entitlement: A Federal program or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.
• Executive session: A portion of the Senate's daily session in which it considers executive business.
• Full-time: means to be employed for a full school day, or its equivalent, or for a full class load, or its equivalent, as determined by the governing board. See Arizona Laws 15-501
• Germane: On the subject of the pending bill or other business; a strict standard of relevance.
• Governing board: means the governing board of a school district or a county school superintendent in the case of accommodation schools located in such a county. See Arizona Laws 15-501
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• High school district: means a political subdivision of this state offering instruction to students for grades nine through twelve or that portion of the budget of a common school district that is allocated to teaching high school subjects with permission of the state board of education. See Arizona Laws 15-901
• Inadequacy of classroom performance: means the definition of inadequacy classroom performance adopted by the governing board pursuant to section 15-538. See Arizona Laws 15-501
• Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
• Magistrate: means an officer having power to issue a warrant for the arrest of a person charged with a public offense and includes the chief justice and justices of the supreme court, judges of the superior court, judges of the court of appeals, justices of the peace and judges of a municipal court. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Merger: includes consolidation. See Arizona Laws 6-401
• Merging association: means an association that plans or effects a merger with one or more other associations in accordance with the provisions of this chapter concerning merger. See Arizona Laws 6-401
• Minor: means a person under eighteen years of age. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Parent: means the natural or adoptive parent of a child or a person who has custody of a child. See Arizona Laws 15-101
• Performance classifications: means the performance classifications adopted by the governing board. See Arizona Laws 15-501
• person: means an individual, partnership, corporation, association or public or private organization of any kind. See Arizona Laws 15-101
• Plea agreement: An arrangement between the prosecutor, the defense attorney, and the defendant in which the defendant agrees to plead guilty in exchange for special considerations. ^Source:
• Population: means the population according to the most recent United States decennial census. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Process: means a citation, writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• Property: includes both real and personal property. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• public school: means any public institution established for the purposes of offering instruction to pupils in programs for preschool children with disabilities, kindergarten programs or any combination of elementary grades or secondary grades one through twelve. See Arizona Laws 15-101
• Qualified evaluator: means a school principal or other person who is trained to evaluate teachers and who is designated by the governing board to evaluate the school district's certificated teachers. See Arizona Laws 15-501
• Registered mail: includes certified mail. See Arizona Laws 1-215
• School district: means a political subdivision of this state with geographic boundaries organized for the purpose of the administration, support and maintenance of the public schools or an accommodation school. See Arizona Laws 15-101
• Small school district: means a school district that meets all of the following:

  (a) Has a student count of fewer than six hundred in kindergarten programs and grades one through eight or grades nine through twelve. See Arizona Laws 15-901

• Subject: means a division or field of organized knowledge, such as English or mathematics, or a selection from an organized body of knowledge for a course or teaching unit, such as the English novel or elementary algebra. See Arizona Laws 15-101
• Superintendent: means the superintendent of schools of a school district. See Arizona Laws 15-501
• Suspension without pay: means suspension without pay for a period of time not to exceed ten school days. See Arizona Laws 15-501
• Uphold: The decision of an appellate court not to reverse a lower court decision.