Title 6, Education

(a) The General Assembly finds that:(1) Breastfeeding a newborn child for a minimum of two (2) to four (4) months reduces Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by up to forty percent (40%), and this number increases to sixty percent (60%) for newborn children breast fed for four (4…

(a) As used in this section, “human fetal growth and development discussion” means an oral, written, or digital lesson, lecture, or presentation regarding human biology as it relates to pregnancy and human development inside the womb. (b) (1) (A) The Department of Education shall…

(a) To educate students about the sacrifices made for freedom in the founding of this country and the values on which this country was founded, the last full week of classes in September in Arkansas public schools shall be recognized as “Celebrate Freedom Week”. (b) (1) During Ce…

(a) (1) (A) Except as provided under subdivision (a)(1)(B) of this section, as used in this section, “school day” shall mean a day in which classes are in session and students receive at least six (6) hours of instructional time.(B) However, “school day” for purposes of a public …

(a) There shall be taught in all of the public or elementary schools of this state subjects that may be designated by the State Board of Education or as required by law. (b) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the inclusion of additional subjects in the state c…

(a) (1) The basic language of instruction in the public school branches in all the public schools of the state shall be the English language only.(2) It shall not be a violation of this section for:(A) An educator to communicate with a student in the student's native language in …

(a) The directors of any school district shall:(1) Expend a reasonable sum from the funds of the school district for a United States flag and for the erection of a suitable flagstaff on the schoolhouse or school grounds;(2) See to it that the pupils are instructed in the etiquett…

(a) The official Arkansas flag shall be displayed on the schoolhouse or school grounds of every public school in this state. (b) The Arkansas flag shall be displayed on the same staff or pole as the United States flag and shall be positioned immediately below the United States fl…

(a) February 22, as the birthday of George Washington, and such other days as may be designated by the State Board of Education for patriotic observance shall be observed with appropriate exercises. (b) Nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing the closing of any …

(a) The State Board of Education shall adopt a policy to require that:(1) Public school students in grades kindergarten through twelve (K-12) participate in a daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance followed by one (1) minute of silence during the first class of each school …

(a) The Rural Services Division of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, in consultation with the Arkansas State Game and Fish Commission, shall establish school education programs for fish and wildlife conservation and other purposes consistent with Arkansas Constitution…

Curricula in morals, manners, patriotism, and business and professional integrity shall be included in the course of study for the state public schools.

(a) As used in this section, “high school equivalency test” means the General Education Development (GED) test of the GED Testing Service or another test used to assess high school core subject competencies. (b) A high school equivalency test for adults shall be administered by t…

(a) Beginning with the 1996-1997 school year and ending with the graduating class of 2025-2026, a student who has completed a minimum of seventy-five (75) clock hours of documented community service in grades nine through twelve (9-12), as certified by the service agency or organ…

To ensure that each student has an adequate education, the General Assembly finds that each student should have access to a rigorous and substantially equal curriculum.

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Accelerated learning” means an organized method of learning that enables students to meet individual academic goals and graduation requirements while pursuing higher levels of skill development, including without limitation the following course…

(a) An instructor of an accelerated learning or concurrent credit course shall meet the requirements of the:(1) Institution of higher education that is offering the course; or(2) Accrediting organization authorized under § 6-16-1202. (1) Institution of higher education that is of…

(a) A concurrent credit course must meet the following requirements:(1) The course must be a course offered by an institution of higher education in this state that is:(A) Approved through the institution of higher education's normal process; and(B) Listed in the institution of h…

Any high school offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme shall be exempt from the provisions of this subchapter.

(a) (1) The Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education shall update the materials and resources for the teaching of historical contributions made by African-Americans in the United States and in other countries before the establishment of the United States for inclusion i…

(a) Local school district boards of directors shall allow any teacher or administrator in a public school district of this state to read or post in a public school building or classroom, or at an event, any excerpts or portions of:(1) The Preamble to the Arkansas Constitution;(2)…

(a) (1) A unit of Arkansas history shall be taught as a social studies subject at each elementary grade level in every public elementary school in this state, with greater emphasis at the fourth and fifth grade levels.(2) At least one (1) full semester of Arkansas history shall b…

(a) The General Assembly finds and acknowledges that food-borne illness is a growing concern throughout the United States. The General Assembly also finds that school-age children may be particularly affected by food-borne illness due to their employment in fast food restaurants …

(a) This section and § 6-16-128 shall be known as “The Arkansas Foreign Language Act of 1999”. (b) There is hereby created the Arkansas Foreign Language Teacher Training Program. The purpose of this program is to:(1) Encourage undergraduate students who intend to teach in the sta…

(a) There is hereby created the Arkansas Early Grades Foreign Language Pilot Program. The purpose of the program is to encourage the development of new foreign language programs for students in kindergarten through grade six (K-6), with an emphasis on Spanish. (b) The Division of…

(a) The board of directors of every public school in the state may declare one (1) week in October of each academic year to be Gun Violence Prevention Week for grades kindergarten through six (K-6). (b) Any school in the state may develop and present an awareness program or parti…

(a) (1) A public elementary school in the state shall provide instruction for at least forty (40) minutes, as determined by the superintendent of the school district, in visual art and at least forty (40) minutes, as determined by the superintendent of the school district, in mus…

(a) The General Assembly finds that:(1) Research has shown that active children become active adults;(2) Children who engage in physical education at school are twice as likely to engage in physical activity outside of school;(3) Research has shown that physical exercise contribu…

(a) In recognition of and tribute to veterans who left high school before graduation to serve in World War II, a board of directors of any school district in Arkansas may grant a diploma of graduation to any veteran meeting the requirements of subsection (c) of this section. (b) …

(a) In recognition of and tribute to veterans who left high school before graduation to serve in the Korean War or the Vietnam War, a board of directors of any school district in Arkansas may grant a diploma of graduation to any veteran meeting the requirements of subsection (c) …

(a) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, in consultation with the Division of Career and Technical Education and subject to the approval of the State Board of Education, shall develop personal and family finance standards. (b) The standards shall include the follow…

(a) The General Assembly finds that:(1) Arkansas public schools face a serious shortage of teachers;(2) Educational technology can help lift the burden of teacher shortages by making distance learning available across the state; and(3) Distance learning should be available to eve…

(a) For the purposes of this section:(1) “Content standards” means those curriculum course content standards identified and set out in the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education curriculum frameworks;(2) “Curriculum frameworks” means those content-specific requirements id…

(a) In order to prepare public school students in the State of Arkansas for successful participation in a growing knowledge-based economy and technology-rich world and to improve student achievement, the public school curriculum must integrate technology into the educational proc…

(a) A student who successfully completes an approved vocational or technical career pathway or program of study at a public high school shall be awarded a certificate of attainment that shall be:(1) Aligned in the appropriate career pathway or program of study; and(2) Used for co…

This subchapter may be cited as the “Digital Learning Act of 2013”.

(a) It is the intent of the General Assembly to:(1) Provide for the expansion of digital learning opportunities to all Arkansas public school students; and(2) Remove any impediments to the expansion of digital learning opportunities. (1) Provide for the expansion of digital learn…

(a) (1) As used in this subchapter, “digital learning” means a digital technology or internet-based educational delivery model that does not rely exclusively on compressed interactive video.(2) Digital learning services may be procured from both in-state and out-of-state digital …

(a) All public school districts and public charter schools shall provide at least one (1) digital learning course to their students as either a primary or supplementary method of instruction. (b) All digital learning courses provided by public school districts or public charter s…

(1) A student who completes two (2) semesters of a Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program shall receive credit for both of the following requirements for graduation from high school under the rules of the State Board of Education:(1) One-half (½) unit of physical educati…

(a) As used in this section, “American Sign Language” means the visual natural language recognized globally that is linguistically complete with unique rules for language structure and use, including without limitation phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and discourse. (b) …

(a) Beginning with the 2014-2015 school year, a public school student in grades nine through twelve (9-12) shall be trained in quality psychomotor skill bases in cardiopulmonary resuscitation before the student graduates from high school. (b) The course shall not be a certificati…

(a) The General Assembly finds that:(1) Integration of the arts is an effective tool to reinforce the rigor and relevance specific to the newly adopted Arkansas State Standards;(2) Research indicates that:(A) An arts-infused curriculum offers a powerful tool to promote student ac…

(a) (1) The State Board of Education shall allow for an elective academic study of the Bible course or courses that consist of a nonsectarian, nonreligious academic study of the Bible and its influence on literature, art, music, culture, and politics to be offered to students in …

(a) Beginning in the 2015-2016 school year, every public elementary school shall teach cursive writing as a component of English language arts by the end of grade three (3). (b) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to administer this section that shall address the requi…

(a) Beginning in the 2015-2016 school year, a public high school or public charter high school shall offer at least one (1) computer science course at the high school level. (b) A computer science course offered by a public high school or public charter high school shall:(1) Be o…