Arkansas education

Wages and cash benefits can be components of household money income. Census income is measured before taxes, so tax relief alone is not an increase in this statistic; the provision does not determine the statewide median. This connection does not establish causation. Actions after the measurement period cannot explain the earlier observed value.

Retained Arkansas evidence context: Median household income. This record’s connection to the topic does not establish an effect on the measured result.

SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 6-17-122 is amended to read as follows: 6-17-122. Paid maternity leave — Definitions. (a)(1) […] An employee of a public school district or an open-enrollment public charter school […] shall be eligible for up to twelve (12) weeks of paid maternity leave when the employee: (A) Has been employed by a public school district or an open-33 enrollment public charter school for one (1) year or more; (B) Is female, and the leave is to be used for maternity purposes following the: As Engrossed: H1/16/25 H1/23/25 H3/31/25 HB1017 2 03-31-2025 12:22:16 TNL026 (i) Birth of the employee's biological child; (ii) Placement of an adopted child under one (1) year of age in the home of the employee; or (iii) Foster placement of an infant under one (1) year of age; and (C) Has not been disciplined for any leave abuse during the past year from the time of application. (2) An employee shall not be eligible for an additional twelve (12) weeks of paid maternity leave under this section following the adoption of a child if the employee took twelve (12) weeks of paid maternity leave under this section after the initial foster placement of the same child in the employee's home. (b) As used in this section: […] (2)(1) […] "Employee" means an individual employed full-time by a public school district or an open-enrollment public charter school in Arkansas for more than one (1) year; and (3)(2) “Maternity leave” means partially or fully compensated time away from work within the first twelve (12) weeks following the: (A) Birth of a biological child to an […] employee; or (B) Placement of an […] adopted child under one (1) year of age in the home of an […] employee; or (C) Foster placement of an infant under one (1) year of age in the home of an employee. (c)(1) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education shall create and sign a standard […] agreement for paid maternity leave expenses […] paid by the division […] to a public school district or an open-32 enrollment public charter school […] (2) […] The agreement required under subdivision (c)(1) of this section shall obligate the […] division to pay one hundred percent (100%) of incurred costs for approved paid maternity leave. (3) The division shall promulgate rules outlining: (A) Management of […] the agreement required under subdivision (c)(1) of this section; (B) Reimbursement processes; and (C) Other related procedures required to implement this section.

The fact measures diploma-or-higher attainment among adults age 25 and older. Completion and equivalency programs address a component of attainment; rules for current students concern a potential future component of the adult population. This connection does not establish causation. Actions after the measurement period cannot explain the earlier observed value.

Retained Arkansas evidence context: Adults with at least a high school diploma. This record’s connection to the topic does not establish an effect on the measured result.

SECTION 4. Arkansas Code § 6-44-305 is amended to read as follows: 6-44-305. Payment. (a) An approved program provider shall not receive funding for a student under this subchapter if the approved program provider also receives federal or state funding or private tuition for the student. (b) An approved program provider shall: (1) Receive reimbursement for an enrolled, eligible student who meets the milestones defined in § 6-44-302; and (2) Invoice only for course and credit requirements needed to earn a high school diploma from an approved program provider that may include additional courses that meet workforce credential requirements. (c) The Department of Education shall pay an approved program provider the following amounts for each student who completes the following milestones: (1) Two hundred fifty dollars ($250) for each: (A) Completed half (1/2) high school credit; (B) Completed employability skills certification; and (C) Earned workforce credential that requires no more than HB1571 3 02/21/2025 4:11:48 PM CRH044 fifty (50) hours of training; (2) Five hundred dollars ($500) for each earned workforce credential that requires at least fifty (50) hours but no more than one hundred (100) hours of training; (3) Seven hundred fifty dollars ($750) for each earned workforce credential that requires more than one hundred (100) hours of training; and (4) One thousand dollars ($1,000) for each earned high school diploma. SECTION 5. Arkansas Code § 6-44-306(b), concerning the process for paying invoices under the Arkansas Adult Diploma Program Act, is amended to read as follows: (b)(1) The department shall pay an approved program provider in the order in which invoices are submitted until all available funds are exhausted. (2) Once all available funds are exhausted under subdivision (b)(1) of this section the department shall notify all approved program providers that funds are exhausted.

The fact measures diploma-or-higher attainment among adults age 25 and older. Completion and equivalency programs address a component of attainment; rules for current students concern a potential future component of the adult population. This connection does not establish causation. Actions after the measurement period cannot explain the earlier observed value.

Retained Arkansas evidence context: Adults with at least a high school diploma. This record’s connection to the topic does not establish an effect on the measured result.

SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 6-16-1901(a), concerning the requirement that students complete documented community service, is amended to read as follows: (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 under subdivision (a)(1) of this section may be documented and maintained by the parent, legal guardian, or person standing in loco parentis to the student. (B) The documentation of community service hours under As Engrossed: S4/9/25 HB1756 2 04-09-2025 18:20:42 TNL258 subdivision (a)(2)(A) of this section: (i) Shall include an attestation by the parent, legal guardian, or person standing in loco parentis to the student that the student obtained the community service hours that are documented; and (ii) May be audited by the Department of Education to ensure: (a) The community service hours are being properly documented and maintained; and (b) The accuracy of the community service hours that are being documented.

Firearm mortality includes suicide, homicide, and other intents. The provision concerns firearm access, safety, or prevention of firearm injury and may address only part of the death count. This connection does not establish causation. Actions after the measurement period cannot explain the earlier observed value.

Retained Arkansas evidence context: Firearm deaths. This record’s connection to the topic does not establish an effect on the measured result.

6-16-163. Instruction on firearm safety — Required. (a) It is the intent of the General Assembly to: (1) Protect Arkansas children from the accidental discharge of firearms by providing age-appropriate firearm education and instruction; and (2) Empower the Arkansas State Game and Fish Commission to work with the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education to create and approve age-appropriate firearm safety courses. (b)(1) The division, in consultation with the commission, shall As Engrossed: H1/28/25 H2/17/25 HB1117 2 02-17-2025 09:09:53 TNL036 determine the earliest grade in which it is appropriate for students enrolled in public school districts and open-enrollment public charter schools to begin receiving instruction on firearm safety. (2) In order to make the determination required under subdivision (a)(1) of this section, the division and the commission shall study relevant data and risk factors, including without limitation the earliest age at which: (A) Incidents of injury involving firearms are reported; and (B) Children are susceptible to harm from unsecured firearms that they are able to gain access to. (c) Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, each public school district and open-enrollment public charter school shall annually provide students with age-appropriate and grade-appropriate instruction on firearm safety. (d) The curriculum or program of instruction used to educate students on firearm safety under subsection (b) of this section shall: (1) Be approved by the division; (2) Begin in the earliest appropriate grade as determined by the division and the commission under subsection (a) of this section and continue in each subsequent grade through grade twelve (12); (3) Include instruction on the following without limitation: (A) The steps to take if a student finds an unsecured firearm, including without limitation the importance of: (i) Avoiding injury if the student finds an unsecured firearm; (ii) Never touching a firearm if the student finds an unsecured firearm; and (iii) Immediately notifying an adult of the location of the unsecured firearm; (B) School safety relating to firearms; and (C) The proper handling and safe storage of firearms; and (4) Include neutral viewpoints on all included topics, including without limitation the prevention of accidental firearm injury. As Engrossed: H1/28/25 H2/17/25 HB1117 3 02-17-2025 09:09:53 TNL036 (e)(1) The division shall not approve a curriculum or program of instruction used to educate students on firearm safety if the curriculum, program of instruction, or any of the instructional materials used as part of the curriculum or program of instruction bear a brand or stated organizational affiliation. (2) However, curricula, programs of instruction, or any of the instructional materials used as part of the curricula or programs of instruction used to educate students on firearm safety may bear a brand issued by the State of Arkansas or any of its departments, agencies, or divisions. (f) The division shall use the following preferred methods of instruction in determining the curriculum or program of instruction used to educate students on firearm safety: (1) The viewing of a video produced by the commission or a commission-approved source; (2) The review of online resources and materials; and (3)(A) An alternative curriculum, which may include an off-campus, commission-approved firearm safety course. (B)(i) An off-campus, commission-approved firearm safety course may be provided in conjunction with a live-fire exercise or sporting event. (ii) If an off-campus, commission-approved firearm safety course is provided in conjunction with a live-fire exercise or sporting event, the provider of the off-campus, commission-approved firearm safety course and the public school district or open-enrollment public charter school in which the participating student is enrolled shall obtain prior written approval from the participating student's parent, legal guardian, or person standing in loco parentis to the participating student. (g) As used in this section, "firearm" means the same as defined in § 5-1-102.

Wages and cash benefits can be components of household money income. Census income is measured before taxes, so tax relief alone is not an increase in this statistic; the provision does not determine the statewide median. This connection does not establish causation. Actions after the measurement period cannot explain the earlier observed value.

Retained Arkansas evidence context: Median household income. This record’s connection to the topic does not establish an effect on the measured result.

SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 6-17-122 is amended to read as follows: 6-17-122. Paid maternity leave — Definitions. (a)(1) […] An employee of a public school district or an open-enrollment public charter school […] shall be eligible for up to twelve (12) weeks of paid maternity leave when the employee: (A) Has been employed by a public school district or an open-33 enrollment public charter school for one (1) year or more; (B) Is female, and the leave is to be used for maternity purposes following the: As Engrossed: H1/16/25 H1/23/25 H3/31/25 HB1017 2 03-31-2025 12:22:16 TNL026 (i) Birth of the employee's biological child; (ii) Placement of an adopted child under one (1) year of age in the home of the employee; or (iii) Foster placement of an infant under one (1) year of age; and (C) Has not been disciplined for any leave abuse during the past year from the time of application. (2) An employee shall not be eligible for an additional twelve (12) weeks of paid maternity leave under this section following the adoption of a child if the employee took twelve (12) weeks of paid maternity leave under this section after the initial foster placement of the same child in the employee's home. (b) As used in this section: […] (2)(1) […] "Employee" means an individual employed full-time by a public school district or an open-enrollment public charter school in Arkansas for more than one (1) year; and (3)(2) “Maternity leave” means partially or fully compensated time away from work within the first twelve (12) weeks following the: (A) Birth of a biological child to an […] employee; or (B) Placement of an […] adopted child under one (1) year of age in the home of an […] employee; or (C) Foster placement of an infant under one (1) year of age in the home of an employee. (c)(1) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education shall create and sign a standard […] agreement for paid maternity leave expenses […] paid by the division […] to a public school district or an open-32 enrollment public charter school […] (2) […] The agreement required under subdivision (c)(1) of this section shall obligate the […] division to pay one hundred percent (100%) of incurred costs for approved paid maternity leave. (3) The division shall promulgate rules outlining: (A) Management of […] the agreement required under subdivision (c)(1) of this section; (B) Reimbursement processes; and (C) Other related procedures required to implement this section.

The fact measures diploma-or-higher attainment among adults age 25 and older. Completion and equivalency programs address a component of attainment; rules for current students concern a potential future component of the adult population. This connection does not establish causation. Actions after the measurement period cannot explain the earlier observed value.

Retained Arkansas evidence context: Adults with at least a high school diploma. This record’s connection to the topic does not establish an effect on the measured result.

SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 6-16-1901(a), concerning the requirement that students complete documented community service, is amended to read as follows: (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 under subdivision (a)(1) of this section may be documented and maintained by the parent, legal guardian, or person standing in loco parentis to the student. (B) The documentation of community service hours under As Engrossed: S4/9/25 HB1756 2 04-09-2025 18:20:42 TNL258 subdivision (a)(2)(A) of this section: (i) Shall include an attestation by the parent, legal guardian, or person standing in loco parentis to the student that the student obtained the community service hours that are documented; and (ii) May be audited by the Department of Education to ensure: (a) The community service hours are being properly documented and maintained; and (b) The accuracy of the community service hours that are being documented.

The fact measures diploma-or-higher attainment among adults age 25 and older. Completion and equivalency programs address a component of attainment; rules for current students concern a potential future component of the adult population. This connection does not establish causation. Actions after the measurement period cannot explain the earlier observed value.

Retained Arkansas evidence context: Adults with at least a high school diploma. This record’s connection to the topic does not establish an effect on the measured result.

SECTION 4. Arkansas Code § 6-44-305 is amended to read as follows: 6-44-305. Payment. (a) An approved program provider shall not receive funding for a student under this subchapter if the approved program provider also receives federal or state funding or private tuition for the student. (b) An approved program provider shall: (1) Receive reimbursement for an enrolled, eligible student who meets the milestones defined in § 6-44-302; and (2) Invoice only for course and credit requirements needed to earn a high school diploma from an approved program provider that may include additional courses that meet workforce credential requirements. (c) The Department of Education shall pay an approved program provider the following amounts for each student who completes the following milestones: (1) Two hundred fifty dollars ($250) for each: (A) Completed half (1/2) high school credit; (B) Completed employability skills certification; and (C) Earned workforce credential that requires no more than HB1571 3 02/21/2025 4:11:48 PM CRH044 fifty (50) hours of training; (2) Five hundred dollars ($500) for each earned workforce credential that requires at least fifty (50) hours but no more than one hundred (100) hours of training; (3) Seven hundred fifty dollars ($750) for each earned workforce credential that requires more than one hundred (100) hours of training; and (4) One thousand dollars ($1,000) for each earned high school diploma. SECTION 5. Arkansas Code § 6-44-306(b), concerning the process for paying invoices under the Arkansas Adult Diploma Program Act, is amended to read as follows: (b)(1) The department shall pay an approved program provider in the order in which invoices are submitted until all available funds are exhausted. (2) Once all available funds are exhausted under subdivision (b)(1) of this section the department shall notify all approved program providers that funds are exhausted.

Firearm mortality includes suicide, homicide, and other intents. The provision concerns firearm access, safety, or prevention of firearm injury and may address only part of the death count. This connection does not establish causation. Actions after the measurement period cannot explain the earlier observed value.

Retained Arkansas evidence context: Firearm deaths. This record’s connection to the topic does not establish an effect on the measured result.

6-16-163. Instruction on firearm safety — Required. (a) It is the intent of the General Assembly to: (1) Protect Arkansas children from the accidental discharge of firearms by providing age-appropriate firearm education and instruction; and (2) Empower the Arkansas State Game and Fish Commission to work with the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education to create and approve age-appropriate firearm safety courses. (b)(1) The division, in consultation with the commission, shall As Engrossed: H1/28/25 H2/17/25 HB1117 2 02-17-2025 09:09:53 TNL036 determine the earliest grade in which it is appropriate for students enrolled in public school districts and open-enrollment public charter schools to begin receiving instruction on firearm safety. (2) In order to make the determination required under subdivision (a)(1) of this section, the division and the commission shall study relevant data and risk factors, including without limitation the earliest age at which: (A) Incidents of injury involving firearms are reported; and (B) Children are susceptible to harm from unsecured firearms that they are able to gain access to. (c) Beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, each public school district and open-enrollment public charter school shall annually provide students with age-appropriate and grade-appropriate instruction on firearm safety. (d) The curriculum or program of instruction used to educate students on firearm safety under subsection (b) of this section shall: (1) Be approved by the division; (2) Begin in the earliest appropriate grade as determined by the division and the commission under subsection (a) of this section and continue in each subsequent grade through grade twelve (12); (3) Include instruction on the following without limitation: (A) The steps to take if a student finds an unsecured firearm, including without limitation the importance of: (i) Avoiding injury if the student finds an unsecured firearm; (ii) Never touching a firearm if the student finds an unsecured firearm; and (iii) Immediately notifying an adult of the location of the unsecured firearm; (B) School safety relating to firearms; and (C) The proper handling and safe storage of firearms; and (4) Include neutral viewpoints on all included topics, including without limitation the prevention of accidental firearm injury. As Engrossed: H1/28/25 H2/17/25 HB1117 3 02-17-2025 09:09:53 TNL036 (e)(1) The division shall not approve a curriculum or program of instruction used to educate students on firearm safety if the curriculum, program of instruction, or any of the instructional materials used as part of the curriculum or program of instruction bear a brand or stated organizational affiliation. (2) However, curricula, programs of instruction, or any of the instructional materials used as part of the curricula or programs of instruction used to educate students on firearm safety may bear a brand issued by the State of Arkansas or any of its departments, agencies, or divisions. (f) The division shall use the following preferred methods of instruction in determining the curriculum or program of instruction used to educate students on firearm safety: (1) The viewing of a video produced by the commission or a commission-approved source; (2) The review of online resources and materials; and (3)(A) An alternative curriculum, which may include an off-campus, commission-approved firearm safety course. (B)(i) An off-campus, commission-approved firearm safety course may be provided in conjunction with a live-fire exercise or sporting event. (ii) If an off-campus, commission-approved firearm safety course is provided in conjunction with a live-fire exercise or sporting event, the provider of the off-campus, commission-approved firearm safety course and the public school district or open-enrollment public charter school in which the participating student is enrolled shall obtain prior written approval from the participating student's parent, legal guardian, or person standing in loco parentis to the participating student. (g) As used in this section, "firearm" means the same as defined in § 5-1-102.