Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1051 3
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By: Representative Andrews 5
By: Senator B. Davis 6
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO AMEND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL START DATE 9
REQUIREMENTS; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 10
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Subtitle 13
TO AMEND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL START DATE 14
REQUIREMENTS. 15
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 17
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SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 6 -10-106(a), concerning the first day of 19
the school year for public schools, is amended to read as follows: 20
(a)(1)(A) Each school year, each public school district board of 21
directors or governing entity of an open -enrollment public charter school 22
shall establish by policy the first day of the school year for student 23
attendance in public elementary and secondary schools shall be: 24
(i) On or after the Monday of the week in which 25
August 19 falls; 26
(ii) Not earlier than August 14; and 27
(iii) Not later than August 26. 28
(B) The date for beginning the school year shall be 29
determined by the board of directors of each school district The first day 30
of the school year for student attendance established under subdivision 31
(a)(1)(A) of this section shall comply with the number of student -teacher 32
interaction days or hours required by the Standards for Accreditation of 33
Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts established by the State Board 34
of Education. 35
(C)(2) Labor Day shall be celebrated as a school holiday in all 36 HB1051
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the school districts of the state, and school shall not be held on that date. 1
(D)(3) As used in this section, “week” means a seven -day period 2
that begins on a Sunday and ends on a Saturday. 3
(2) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education may grant 4
a school district a waiver to begin school on an earlier or a later date if 5
the division determines that there exists a material and substantial reason 6
for the school district to begin school on an earlier or a later date due to 7
very exceptional or emergency circumstances such as a contagious disease 8
outbreak, inclement weather, or other acts of God. 9
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