Title 6, Education

(1) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education may:(1) Provide professional development programs that teach the competencies required for:(A) Managing successful community schools and expanded learning time;(B) Planning and implementing services and strategies in collabor…

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Arkansas Tutoring Corps Act”.

(1) The General Assembly finds that:(1) Data suggests that learning loss suffered as a result of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic will be substantial, particularly for the state's most vulnerable students, with recent studies showing that these students on average could l…

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Qualified tutor” means a person who meets requirements established by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education; and(2) “Qualified tutoring site” means any of the following:(A) A public school or open-enrollment public charter school l…

(a) (1) The Department of Education may develop a program to:(A) Identify qualified tutors;(B) Identify a curriculum to support children preparing to enter kindergarten through grade six (K-6) in the content areas of math and reading and ensure that the identified curriculum is a…

(1) A public school district with a “D” or “F” school rating according to the most recent results of the school rating system under § 6-15-2101 et seq., or a school district classified as in need of Level 5 — Intensive support by the State Board of Education shall be eligible for…

(a) A school district board of directors or the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education acting as a school district board of directors, with approval from the State Board of Education, may enter into a contract for school transformation if:(1) The entity with which it …

(a) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education shall seek to encourage transformation charter operators to enter into contracts with eligible public school districts. (b) (1) For purposes of accountability during the first two (2) school years of operation, a public schoo…

The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules as necessary to implement and administer this subchapter.

As used in this subchapter, “home school” means a school provided by a parent or legal guardian for his or her own child.

(a) The provisions of § 6-18-201(a) shall be self-executing, and the State Board of Education shall have no authority to promulgate rules or guidelines for the enforcement or administration thereof. (b) The state board is empowered to make such reasonable rules required for the p…

(a) (1) Parents or legal guardians desiring to provide a home school for their children shall give written notice to the superintendent of their local school district of their intent to provide a home school for their children and agree that the parent or legal guardian is respon…

(a) A local public school district:(1) Shall afford a home-schooled student who enrolls or re-enrolls in a public school the same rights and privileges enjoyed by other public school students; and(2) Shall not deny a home-schooled student who enrolls or re-enrolls in a public sch…

(a) (1) Home schools authorized by this subchapter are not entitled to local, state, or federal funds allocated to a public school district.(2) For purposes of this section, eligible children with disabilities identified under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U…

(a) No child may be home schooled if any person residing in the home with the child is required to register under the Sex Offender Registration Act of 1997, § 12-12-901 et seq. (b) Upon petition to the sentencing court from the child's parent or guardian, the sentencing court may…

(a) The General Assembly recognizes that all students should have equal access to interscholastic activities as a complement to the academic curriculum. (b) As used in this section:(1) “Athletic activity” means a varsity sport or another competitive sports-related contest, game, …

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Athletic activity” means a varsity sport or another competitive sports-related contest, game, event, or exhibition that involves an individual student or teams of students between schools;(2) “Homeschooled student” means a student legally enrolled…

(1) For the purposes of this subchapter, “accelerated learning” means an organized method of learning that enables a student to meet individual academic goals and graduation requirements while pursuing higher levels of skill development, including without limitation the following…

(a) The following grading scale shall be used by all public secondary schools in the state for all courses, except accelerated learning courses and approved courses for weighted credit:(1) A = 90-100;(2) B = 80-89;(3) C = 70-79;(4) D = 60-69; and(5) F = 59 and below. (1) A = 90-1…

(a) (1) Every public school district shall provide a report card for each student reflecting the student's grade in each class in which the student is enrolled.(2) The report card shall be:(A) Mailed to the last known address of the student;(B) Given to a parent at a parent-teach…

The Department of Health shall use moneys from the Tobacco Settlement Proceeds Act, § 19-90-101 et seq., to establish a Kids-For-Health program.

(a) Annually, in either the month of October for a one-semester course taught in the fall or the month of February for a one-semester course taught in the spring, a unit on dating violence awareness shall be taught as a component of a health course offered in grades seven through…

(a) There is created the Licensed Practical Nurse Pathway Pilot Program. (b) By the 2022-2023 school year, the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, in consultation with the Division of Higher Education, shall establish and implement the program by which a public school…

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Gender identity” means the same as is used in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, which defines it as a category of social identity and refers to an individual's identification as male, female, or, occasionall…

(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…