Title 6, Education

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Course Choice Program”.

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) (A) “Course provider” means an entity that offers individual courses in person or online, including without limitation:(i) An online or virtual education provider that is not a public school district or an open-enrollment public charter school;(…

(a) There is established the Course Choice Program. (b) To support student participation, not later than the 2026-2027 school year, the State Board of Education shall promulgate rules on the program, including a process that includes without limitation the following:(1) The deter…

(a) Each local school district board of directors shall establish policies and procedures for each eligible student, where the following shall apply:(1) Credits earned through a course provider shall appear on each eligible student's official transcript and count fully towards gr…

(a) (1) As used in this section, “per-course amount for a course provider” means the standard market rate as determined by a course provider and reported to the Department of Education that is up to eight percent (8%) of the per-pupil amount each year as determined by the foundat…

(a) Beginning with the ninth grade class of 2024-2025, a public high school student shall have the option to earn a high school diploma through a career-ready pathway. (b) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, in consultation with other relevant state agencies and s…

(a) (1) To prepare students for choosing a career option at the high-school level, in grades six through eight (6-8), each public school district and open-enrollment public charter school shall incorporate career awareness and exploration activities that expose students to career…

(a) A career-ready pathway to a diploma shall:(1) Provide a student with credentials of value in a desired high-wage, high-growth career and a strong academic core;(2) Be offered to each high school student;(3) Prepare students to:(A) Pursue either a degree or certification from:…

(a) To develop and implement a career-ready pathway program, public school districts and open-enrollment public charter schools may:(1) Work as a system in developing a district-wide or school-wide program;(2) Work as individual schools in developing individual school programs;(3…

(a) A public school student who is in a work-based learning opportunity that is provided in coordination with a public school district or open-enrollment public charter school shall be covered by the workers’ compensation insurance of his or her employer as provided in the Worker…

(a) To ensure that a career-ready pathway to a diploma adequately prepares public school students for high-wage, high-growth opportunities within Arkansas, the Arkansas Workforce Development Board, in consultation with the Department of Education, shall develop a system for colle…

(a) (1) Beginning with the graduating class of 2026-2027, a public high school student shall complete a minimum of seventy-five (75) clock hours of documented community service in grades nine through twelve (9-12) in order to graduate.(2) (A) The community service hours required …

(a) (1) A public school district board of directors may grant a waiver of this requirement for extenuating circumstances on a case-by-case basis.(2) Extenuating circumstances permitted under subdivision (a)(1) of this section may include without limitation:(A) A major illness ass…

(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) 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) 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) 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 …