Title 6 — Education

(a) There is established a Robotics Competition Grant Program. (b) The purpose of the program is to provide grants to expand opportunities that increase interest and improve skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through participation in robotics competitions…

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Allowable expense” means:(A) Robotics competition fees, kits, and supplies required to:(i) Establish or maintain a robotics team; and(ii) Participate in a robotics competition;(B) Event registration fees, materials, transportation and travel co…

(a) The Robotics Competition Grant Program shall be administered by the Department of Education. (b) A grant awarded under this subchapter shall be subject to an eligible team obtaining a matching contribution from other sources, which shall be equivalent to at least twenty-five …

(a) An eligible team may apply for a grant from the Robotics Competition Grant Program under this subchapter through the process established by the Department of Education. (b) In order to receive a grant under this subchapter, an eligible team shall show proof of the following i…

The Department of Education shall promulgate rules for the administration of the Robotics Competition Grant Program established by this subchapter, which shall include without limitation the process for applying for a grant under this subchapter.

All school districts in the State of Arkansas shall offer a kindergarten program and make it available to all eligible children within the boundary of each school district.

A.C.A. § 6-16-202Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

(a) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education shall develop guidelines for school districts to perform readiness testing for children who are entering kindergarten. (b) (1) After the division develops guidelines under subsection (a) of this section, each school district …

(a) The General Assembly finds that:(1) A historic rise in antisemitic violence, harassment, and discrimination has occurred at kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) schools across the United States, targeting Jewish students;(2) In April 2024, the Director of the Federal Bure…

(1) As used in this section:(1) “Antisemitism” means the same as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance in its working definition of antisemitism, including its contemporary examples, as it was adopted on May 26, 2016;(2) “Institution of higher education” mea…

(a) Each school shall treat harassment or discrimination that is motivated by or includes antisemitic intent by a student or school employee or is a result of school policies or programs on the school campus in the same manner as any other form of discrimination prohibited by sta…

(a) (1) The Department of Education shall designate a Title VI Coordinator who shall monitor all complaints of discrimination and harassment, including without limitation antisemitic discrimination and harassment, at schools and institutions of higher education.(2) The individual…

(a) Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to diminish or infringe upon any right protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution or Arkansas Constitution, Article 2, §§ 4, 6, and 24. (b) Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to conflict with …

This subchapter shall be known as the “Early Childhood and Adult Education Act of 1969”.

(a) The State Board of Education or the Career Education and Workforce Development Board is designated as the state agency or authority to receive and administer all available federal funds or those funds which may hereafter become available for early childhood education or adult…

The State Board of Education or school district boards of directors may accept gifts, grants, donations, equipment and materials, and bequests of money and real and personal property for the purposes of this subchapter.

The expenditure of moneys by either the State Board of Education or school district boards of directors shall be limited to projects, programs, research, or demonstrations in early childhood education and in adult education which are under the control and management of public boa…

(a) Irrespective of any language in this subchapter, nothing prohibits the General Assembly from providing funds to establish centers for research or demonstration purposes in order to provide state-level leadership in early childhood education. (b) In such instances, however, th…

(a) Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed as prohibiting a school district from operating a designated, approved area vocational-technical high school in keeping with federal or state legislation and Career Education and Workforce Development Board rules pertaining theret…

(a) Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to limit a school district's power to adopt reasonable rules, regulations, and policies not inconsistent with the purposes of this subchapter to ensure continued orderly operation of schools, including adult education and area voc…

Domiciliary residents of a school district who have attained twenty-one (21) years of age may enroll in the school district's adult education programs; but no person over twenty-one (21) years of age shall be permitted to enroll in the public schools of any school district from k…

The State of Arkansas and school districts are authorized to spend available tax funds for adult education below college level.

(a) The expenditure of state or local tax funds, except as provided in § 6-16-305, shall be limited to program applications approved by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education for children five (5) years of age as defined elsewhere in this subchapter. (b) Programs in e…

In the event a privately controlled and operated program for children of less than six (6) years of age is conducted in the state, the program shall be licensed as set forth in the Child Care Facility Licensing Act, § 20-78-201 et seq.

(a) The State Board of Education and school district boards of directors are prohibited from initiating new or additional programs, studies, research, or demonstrations with revenue derived from fees, tuition, or other contributions charged or received from students participating…

(a) The State Board of Education shall promulgate and adopt such rules as it deems appropriate providing minimum standards, including program standards and teacher licensure standards, for the conduct of public school kindergarten programs. (b) Program standards shall include, bu…

A.C.A. § 6-16-409Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

(a) After receiving approval of materials from the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Secretary of the Department of Health, the Arkansas Regional Organ Recovery Agency, Inc., may provide educational and instructional materials regarding organ and tissue d…

A.C.A. § 6-16-507Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

(a) After receiving approval of materials from the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Secretary of the Department of Health, the Governor's Commission on People with Disabilities may provide educational and instructional materials regarding accessible park…

(a) As used in this subchapter:(1) “College and career readiness assessment” means a set of criterion-referenced measurements of a student's acquisition of the knowledge and skills the student needs to be successful in future endeavors, including:(A) Successfully completing credi…

(a) The postsecondary preparatory programs established under authority of this subchapter shall:(1) Provide advice that will better prepare eligible students for entry-level postsecondary work in the areas of mathematics, English, and reading;(2) Improve diagnostic efforts, couns…

(a) Every public school in Arkansas shall:(1) Identify eligible students under this subchapter using the results from college and career readiness assessments under the Arkansas College and Career Readiness Planning Program, § 6-15-441 [repealed]; and(2) (A) Provide the counselin…

(a) (1) An eligible student may enroll in a postsecondary preparatory program during:(A) A school year;(B) The summer months following a school year in which the student is enrolled in any of grades eight through eleven (8-11) in an Arkansas public school; or(C) Both of the perio…

(a) A student may take a placement test at no cost to the student at the date, time, and location set by the State Board of Education if the student:(1) Is enrolled in grade eight (8) or grade (10) in a public school of Arkansas; or(2) Completes a postsecondary preparatory progra…

(a) A public high school shall award one (1) unit of credit as an elective for successfully completing a postsecondary preparatory program under this subchapter. (b) The unit of credit awarded under this section does not count toward the minimum number of credits required by law …

It is the intent of the General Assembly that the State of Arkansas provide free public schools for the citizens of this state as provided by law and by the Arkansas Constitution. However, it is sometimes desirable for a school district to offer optional courses outside the regul…

(a) (1) Public schools are hereby authorized to operate optional school programs during the summer or at other times when the regular school classes are not in session and to charge fees to students for participating in the programs.(2) If credit is given for the courses taken in…

A.C.A. § 6-16-703Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

Those schools electing not to offer a summer school program shall offer a Division of Elementary and Secondary Education-approved remediation program during the regular school year to students in kindergarten through grade three (K-3) not performing at grade level.

Students in kindergarten through grade three (K-3) not performing at grade level during the regular school year shall participate in a Division of Elementary and Secondary Education-approved remediation program or a summer school remediation program to be eligible for promotion t…

(a) A school district may upon agreement with another school district transfer students to the nonresident school district for summer school classes. (b) The cost of the summer school classes shall be the responsibility of the sending school district at a rate agreed upon by both…

(a) The General Assembly finds and acknowledges that a system of evaluation is needed to justify expenditure of state resources on effective instructional programs and to eliminate state funding of ineffective instructional programs. The General Assembly further finds that an eva…