Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
*TNL130* 01/29/2025 1:01:07 PM TNL130
State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1305 3
4
By: Representative Andrews 5
By: Senator J. Dotson 6
7
For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO 9
ISSUE A TEACHING LICENSE TO AN INDIVIDUAL WHO DOES 10
NOT MEET TRADITIONAL OR ALTERNATIVE LICENSURE 11
REQUIREMENTS UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS; AND FOR OTHER 12
PURPOSES. 13
14
15
Subtitle 16
TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION 17
TO ISSUE A TEACHING LICENSE TO AN 18
INDIVIDUAL WHO DOES NOT MEET TRADITIONAL 19
OR ALTERNATIVE LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS 20
UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS. 21
22
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 23
24
SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 6 -17-410, concerning the issuance, 25
revocation, and suspension of teaching licenses, is amended to add an 26
additional subsection to read as follows: 27
(k)(1) The state board shall issue a license to an individual who does 28
not meet the educational requirements of a traditional license and does not 29
qualify for licensure through other alternative educator preparation programs 30
if the individual has been approved for licensure and hire by a public school 31
district board of directors or a governing body of an open -enrollment public 32
charter school. 33
(2) A public school district board of directors or a governing 34
body of an open-enrollment public charter school that approves an individual 35
for licensure and hire under subdivision (k)(1) of this section shall submit 36 HB1305
2 01/29/2025 1:01:07 PM TNL130
a letter to the state board that requests the issuance of a license to the 1
individual. 2
(3) An individual who is issued a license under this subsection 3
(k) shall have one (1) of the following: 4
(A) A bachelor's degree in a subject matter related to the 5
course material that he or she is being hired to teach; 6
(B) An associate degree or trade certification and five 7
(5) years of documented career experience in a subject matter related to the 8
course material that he or she is being hired to teach; or 9
(C) Ten (10) years of career experience in a subject 10
matter related to the course material that he or she is being hired to teach. 11
(4) An individual shall not be issued a teaching license under 12
this subsection if he or she has: 13
(A) A true report in the Child Maltreatment Central 14
Registry; 15
(B) Pled guilty or nolo contendere to or been found guilty 16
of any of the offenses under subsection (c) of this section by a court in the 17
State of Arkansas or of any similar offense by a court in another state or by 18
a federal court; 19
(C) Failed to apply for and pass a statewide and 20
nationwide criminal records check conducted by the Division of Arkansas State 21
Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation; or 22
(D) Failed to provide his or her fingerprints for a 23
statewide and nationwide criminal records check as required under § 6 -17-417. 24
(5)(A) A license issued to an individual under this subsection 25
shall be valid for only the duration of his or her employment with the public 26
school district or open -enrollment public charter school that recommended him 27
or her for licensure under subdivision (k)(2) of this section. 28
(B) Upon the conclusion of the individual's employment 29
with the public school district or open -enrollment public charter school that 30
recommended him or her for licensure under subdivision (k)(2) of this 31
section, the individual's license under this subsection (k) shall expire. 32
33
34
35
36