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 SENATE BILL 607 3
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By: Senators Crowell, J. Bryant, A. Clark, Dees, Flippo, B. Johnson, M. Johnson, B. King, F. Love, R. 5
Murdock, C. Penzo, J. Petty, Rice, J. Scott, D. Wallace 6
By: Representatives Walker, J. Mayberry, S. Berry, Cozart, Eaton, Hall, Hollowell, McClure, Milligan, 7
K. Moore, Painter, Pearce, Puryear, J. Richardson, Schulz, Vaught, Wooten 8
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For An Act To Be Entitled 10
AN ACT CONCERNING A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT 11
IMPLEMENTS A FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEK FOR A PUBLIC SCHOOL 12
WITHIN ITS DISTRICT; TO ESTABLISH THE REQUIREMENTS 13
FOR A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT INITIATES AND 14
MAINTAINS A FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEK; TO DECLARE AN 15
EMERGENCY; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 16
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Subtitle 19
TO ESTABLISH THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A 20
PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT INITIATES 21
AND MAINTAINS A FOUR -DAY SCHOOL WEEK; 22
AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. 23
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 25
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SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 6 -10-117 is amended to read as follows: 27
6-10-117. Four-day school week — Definition. 28
(a)(1) It is found and determined by the General Assembly that 29
granting local public school districts greater flexibility in scheduling 30
instructional time can reap educational benefits for the students and 31
financial rewards for the public school district. 32
(2) It is the intent of this section to authorize local public 33
school districts to initiate and maintain public school educational programs 34
on a four-day school-week basis, so long as if planned instructional time is 35
in accord with requirements established by meets the State Board of Education 36 SB607
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requirements promulgated under subsection (d) of this section . 1
(b) As used in this section, “four -day school week” means an 2
educational program in which all students attend school for four (4) days a 3
week but no fewer than the total number of hours required by the Standards 4
for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts in a five -5
day school week. 6
(c)(1) The board of directors of any a public school district is 7
authorized to may initiate and maintain a four -day school week in any or all 8
of the public schools in the public school district. 9
(2) The state board and the Department of Education shall not 10
have the authority to approve or deny the decision of a public school 11
district board of directors to initiate and maintain a four -day school week 12
in any or all of its public schools under subdivision (c)(1) of this section. 13
(d)(1) The State Board of Education state board shall establish 14
appropriate standards, guidelines, and rules for only the following: 15
(A)(i) The determination of average daily membership of 16
school districts and for the distribution of state aid to each local public 17
school district that elects to operate any or all of the public schools of 18
its school district on a four -day school-week basis, to provide the public 19
school district with an equitable share of state aid funds. 20
(ii) The state aid funds under subdivision 21
(d)(1)(A)(i) of this section that are designated to equate a four-day school-22
week operation by the school district to ensure the educational opportunities 23
provided by a public school district offering a four -day school week are 24
equivalent to the educational opportunities provided by a public school 25
district offering a five -day school week or a public school that follows a 26
traditional calendar; 27
(B) The requirement that each public school district that 28
initiates and maintains a four -day school week for any or all of its public 29
schools under this section shall: 30
(i)(a) Average six (6) hours of instruction per 31
school day and thirty (30) hours of instruction per school week . 32
(b) The hourly requirements under subdivision 33
(d)(1)(B)(i)(a) of this section may be met with four (4) seven -and-one-half-34
hour school instructional days. 35
(c) A public school district that initiates 36 SB607
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and maintains a four -day school week in a public school that provides 1
instruction to students in grades nine through twelve (9 -12) shall meet the 2
clock-hour equivalency of one hundred twenty (120) clock hours for a Carnegie 3
unit; 4
(ii)(a) Provide documentation to the Division of 5
Elementary and Secondary Education to determine the success of the 6
educational program. 7
(b) Assessment measures utilized by the 8
division under subdivision (d)(1)(B)(ii)(a) of this section shall include 9
without limitation state -approved criterion-referenced tests and other 10
assessment instruments required or approved by the division; and 11
(iii) Include the four -day school week on the agenda 12
for the public school district's required annual report to the public to 13
determine local support for and provide for continual community input into 14
the success and continuation of four -day school weeks; and 15
(C) The forfeiture of the ability to initiate and maintain 16
a four-day school week under this section if a public school district: 17
(i) Is classified by the state board as in need of 18
Level 5 — Intensive support; and 19
(ii) Demonstrates persistent underperformance, as 20
defined by state benchmarks, on the state -approved criterion-referenced test 21
and other assessment instruments required or approved by the division. 22
(2) Provided, however, that a A public school district shall not 23
receive any more state financial aid for offering a four -day school week of 24
instruction than it would have received for offering a five -day school week 25
of instruction. 26
(3) The state board and the department shall not promulgate 27
rules regarding public school districts that initiate and maintain a four -day 28
school week for any or all of its public schools that are in addition to the 29
requirements under this subsection (d). 30
(4) A public school district that initiates and maintains a 31
four-day school week for any or all of its public schools under this section 32
shall: 33
(A) Demonstrate compliance with the requirements under 34
subdivision (d)(1) of this section through a state -approved electronic 35
application; and 36 SB607
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(B) Not be required to submit additional reports or 1
demonstrations of compliance with the requirements under subdivision (d)(1) 2
of this section to the state board or division. 3
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SECTION 2. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the 5
General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that school districts must 6
determine and publish their school calendars in advance of the upcoming 2025 -7
2026 school year; that school districts must have their school calendars 8
established in order to prepare appropriate staffing, operational, and 9
financial needs; that parents, students, staff members, and others associated 10
with school districts must know in advance of the upcoming school year what 11
the school calendar will be in order to make necessary arrangements; and that 12
this act is immediately necessary to ensure school districts have the 13
required information to arrange for and provide constitutionally mandated 14
education to enrolled students. Therefore, an emergency is declared to exist, 15
and this act being immediately necessary for the preservation of the public 16
peace, health, and safety shall become effective on: 17
(1) The date of its approval by the Governor; 18
(2) If the bill is neither approved nor vetoed by the Governor, 19
the expiration of the period of time during which the Governor may veto the 20
bill; or 21
(3) If the bill is vetoed by the Governor and the veto is 22
overridden, the date the last house overrides the veto. 23
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