Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
Act 53 of the Regular Session
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State of Arkansas As Engrossed: H2/3/25 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1236 3
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By: Representative Joey Carr 5
By: Senator B. Davis 6
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO ALLOW A PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEE TO BE 9
RELEASED FROM HIS OR HER CONTRACT BY A CERTAIN DATE 10
UPON HIS OR HER WRITTEN REQUEST; TO DECLARE AN 11
EMERGENCY; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 12
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Subtitle 15
TO ALLOW A PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEE TO BE 16
RELEASED FROM HIS OR HER CONTRACT BY A 17
CERTAIN DATE UPON HIS OR HER WRITTEN 18
REQUEST; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. 19
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 21
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SECTION 1. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 17, Subchapter 3, is amended 23
to add an additional section to read as follows: 24
6-17-311. Public school employee contract — Release. 25
(a) An individual employed by a public school district or an open -26
enrollment public charter school may unilaterally rescind his or her signed 27
contract for the subsequent school year if: 28
(1) He or she submits a signed, written document to the public 29
school district superintendent or his or her designee or the director of the 30
open-enrollment public charter school or his or her designee that provides 31
notification that he or she is rescinding his or her signed contract for the 32
subsequent school year; and 33
(2)(A) The signed, written request under subdivision (a)(1) of 34
this section is submitted before the end of the business day on May 15. 35
(B) If May 15 falls on a weekend, then the signed, written 36 As Engrossed: H2/3/25 HB1236
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request under subdivision (a)(1) of this section shall be submitted before 1
the end of the business day on the Friday before May 15. 2
(b) The rights conferred under this section do not conflict with 3
requirements and restrictions under § 6 -17-2403. 4
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SECTION 2. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the 6
General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that public school districts and 7
open-enrollment public charter schools will begin drafting employee contracts 8
as early as March 2025 for 2025 -2026 school year; and that this act is 9
immediately necessary to ensure public school districts and open -enrollment 10
public charter schools correctly draft and issue employee contracts in time 11
for the 2025-2026 school year. Therefore, an emergency is declared to exist, 12
and this act being immediately necessary for the preservation of the public 13
peace, health, and safety shall become effective on: 14
(1) The date of its approval by the Governor; 15
(2) If the bill is neither approved nor vetoed by the Governor, 16
the expiration of the period of time during which the Governor may veto the 17
bill; or 18
(3) If the bill is vetoed by the Governor and the veto is 19
overridden, the date the last house overrides the veto. 20
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/s/Joey Carr 22
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APPROVED: 2/13/25 25
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