Arkansas 2025 Regular Session

Arkansas House Bill HB1940 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
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3	3	State of Arkansas 1
4	4	95th General Assembly A Bill 2
5	5	Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1940 3
6	6	4
7	7	By: Representatives Walker, J. Mayberry, S. Berry, Cozart, Eaton, Hall, Hollowell, McClure, Milligan, 5
8	8	K. Moore, Painter, Pearce, Puryear, J. Richardson, Schulz, Vaught, Wooten 6
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11	11	For An Act To Be Entitled 9
12	12	AN ACT CONCERNING A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT 10
13	13	IMPLEMENTS A FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEK FOR A PUBLIC SCHOOL 11
14	14	WITHIN ITS DISTRICT; TO ESTABLISH THE REQUIREMENTS 12
15	15	FOR A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT INITIATES AND 13
16	16	MAINTAINS A FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEK; TO DECLARE AN 14
17	17	EMERGENCY; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 15
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20	20	Subtitle 18
21	21	TO ESTABLISH THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A 19
22	22	PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT INITIATES 20
23	23	AND MAINTAINS A FOUR -DAY SCHOOL WEEK; 21
24	24	AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. 22
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26	26	BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 24
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28	28	SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 6 -10-117 is amended to read as follows: 26
29	29	6-10-117. Four-day school week — Definition. 27
30	30	(a)(1) It is found and determined by the General Assembly that 28
31	31	granting local public school districts greater flexibility in scheduling 29
32	32	instructional time can reap educational benefits for the students and 30
33	33	financial rewards for the public school district. 31
34	34	(2) It is the intent of this section to authorize local public 32
35	35	school districts to initiate and maintain public school educational programs 33
36	36	on a four-day school-week basis, so long as if planned instructional time is 34
37	37	in accord with requirements established by meets the State Board of Education 35
38	38	requirements promulgated under subsection (d) of this section . 36 HB1940
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41	41	(b) As used in this section, “four -day school week” means an 1
42	42	educational program in which all students attend school for four (4) days a 2
43	43	week but no fewer than the total number of hours required by the Standards 3
44	44	for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts in a five -4
45	45	day school week. 5
46	46	(c)(1) The board of directors of any a public school district is 6
47	47	authorized to may initiate and maintain a four -day school week in any or all 7
48	48	of the public schools in the public school district. 8
49	49	(2) The state board and the Department of Education shall not 9
50	50	have the authority to approve or deny the decision of a public school 10
51	51	district board of directors to initiate and maintain a four -day school week 11
52	52	in any or all of its public schools under subdivision (c)(1) of this section. 12
53	53	(d)(1) The State Board of Education state board shall establish 13
54	54	appropriate standards, guidelines, and rules for only the following: 14
55	55	(A) The determination of average daily membership of 15
56	56	public school districts and for the distribution of state aid to each local 16
57	57	school district that elects to operate any or all of the public schools of 17
58	58	its school district on a four -day school-week basis, to provide the school 18
59	59	district with an equitable share of aid funds designated to equate a four -day 19
60	60	school-week operation by the school district to the educational opportunities 20
61	61	provided by a school district offering a five -day school week; 21
62	62	(B) The requirement that each public school district that 22
63	63	initiates and maintains a four -day school week for any or all of its public 23
64	64	schools under this section shall: 24
65	65	(i)(a) Average six (6) hours of instruction per 25
66	66	school day and thirty (30) hours of instruction per school week . 26
67	67	(b) The hourly requirements under subdivision 27
68	68	(d)(1)(B)(i)(a) of this section may be met with four (4) seven -and-one-half-28
69	69	hour school instructional days. 29
70	70	(c) A public school district that initiates 30
71	71	and maintains a four -day school week in a public school that provides 31
72	72	instruction to students in grades nine through twelve (9 -12) shall meet the 32
73	73	clock-hour equivalency of one hundred twenty (120) clock hours for a Carnegie 33
74	74	unit; 34
75	75	(ii)(a) Provide documentation to the Division of 35
76	76	Elementary and Secondary Education to determine the success of the 36 HB1940
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79	79	educational program. 1
80	80	(b) Assessment measures utilized by the 2
81	81	division under subdivision (d)(1)(B)(ii)(a) of this section shall include 3
82	82	without limitation state -approved criterion-referenced tests and other 4
83	83	assessment instruments required or approved by the division; and 5
84	84	(iii) Include the four -day school week on the agenda 6
85	85	for the public school district's required annual report to the public to 7
86	86	determine local support for and provide for continual community input into 8
87	87	the success and continuation of four -day school weeks; and 9
88	88	(C) The forfeiture of the ability to initiate and maintain 10
89	89	a four-day school week under this section if a public school district: 11
90	90	(i) Is classified by the state board as in need of 12
91	91	Level 5 — Intensive support; and 13
92	92	(ii) Demonstrates persistent underperformance, as 14
93	93	defined by state benchmarks, on the state -approved criterion-referenced test 15
94	94	and other assessment instruments required or approved by the division. 16
95	95	(2) Provided, however, that a A public school district shall not 17
96	96	receive any more state financial aid for offering a four -day school week of 18
97	97	instruction than it would have received for offering a five -day school week 19
98	98	of instruction. 20
99	99	(3) The state board and the department shall not promulgate 21
100	100	rules regarding public school districts that initiate and maintain a four -day 22
101	101	school week for any or all of its public schools that are in addition to the 23
102	102	requirements under this subsection (d). 24
103	103	(4) A public school district that initiates and maintains a 25
104	104	four-day school week for any or all of its public schools under this section 26
105	105	shall: 27
106	106	(A) Demonstrate compliance with the requirements under 28
107	107	subdivision (d)(1) of this section through a state -approved electronic 29
108	108	application; and 30
109	109	(B) Not be required to submit additional reports or 31
110	110	demonstrations of compliance with the requirements under subdivision (d)(1) 32
111	111	of this section to the state board or division. 33
112	112	34
113	113	SECTION 2. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the 35
114	114	General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that school districts must 36 HB1940
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117	117	determine and publish their school calendars in advance of the upcoming 2025 -1
118	118	2026 school year; that school districts must have their school calendars 2
119	119	established in order to prepare appropriate staffing, operational, and 3
120	120	financial needs; that parents, students, staff members, and others associated 4
121	121	with school districts must know in advance of the upcoming school year what 5
122	122	the school calendar will be in order to make necessary arrangements; and that 6
123	123	this act is immediately necessary to ensure school districts have the 7
124	124	required information to arrange for and provide constitutionally mandated 8
125	125	education to enrolled students. Therefore, an emergency is declared to exist, 9
126	126	and this act being immediately necessary for the preservation of the public 10
127	127	peace, health, and safety shall become effective on: 11
128	128	(1) The date of its approval by the Governor; 12
129	129	(2) If the bill is neither approved nor vetoed by the Governor, 13
130	130	the expiration of the period of time during which the Governor may veto the 14
131	131	bill; or 15
132	132	(3) If the bill is vetoed by the Governor and the veto is 16
133	133	overridden, the date the last house overrides the veto. 17
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