HR 1008

1 State of Arkansas
2 95th General Assembly
3 Fiscal Session, 2026  HR 1008
4
5 By: Representative Wooten
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7
8HOUSE RESOLUTION
9TO AUTHORIZE THE INTRODUCTION OF A NONAPPROPRIATION
10BILL CONCERNING THE ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL
11FREEDOM ACCOUNT PROGRAM; TO AMEND THE AMOUNT A
12PARTICIPATING STUDENT RECEIVES IN HIS OR HER ACCOUNT
13EACH YEAR UNDER THE ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL
14FREEDOM ACCOUNT PROGRAM; AND TO AMEND THE TESTING
15REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE
16ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM ACCOUNT
17PROGRAM.
18
19
20Subtitle
21TO AUTHORIZE THE INTRODUCTION OF A
22NONAPPROPRIATION BILL CONCERNING THE
23ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM
24ACCOUNT PROGRAM.
25
26
27 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL
28 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
29
30THAT Senator King is authorized to introduce a bill which as introduced
31 will read substantially as follows:
32
33 "Title
34 AN ACT CONCERNING THE ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM ACCOUNT
35 PROGRAM; TO AMEND THE AMOUNT A PARTICIPATING STUDENT RECEIVES IN HIS OR HER
36 ACCOUNT EACH YEAR UNDER THE ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM ACCOUNT
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1 PROGRAM; TO AMEND THE TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE
2 ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM ACCOUNT PROGRAM; AND FOR OTHER
3 PURPOSES.
4
5 Subtitle
6 CONCERNING THE ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM ACCOUNT PROGRAM.
7
8 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
9
10      SECTION 1.   Arkansas Code § 6-18-2505(a)(1), concerning the funds
11 appropriated to a participating student's account, is amended to read as
12 follows:
13      (a)(1)(A)    The Except as provided under subsection (g) of this section,
14 the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education shall allocate annually to
15 each participating student's account, from funds appropriated to the Arkansas
16 Children's Educational Freedom Account Fund or otherwise made available for
17 the Arkansas Children's Educational Freedom Account Program, an amount equal
18 to ninety percent (90%) of the prior year's statewide foundation funding
19 allotted per student under § 6-20-2305.
20(B)   An amount allocated under subdivision (a)(1)(A) of
21 this section to a participating student who is a homeschooled student shall
22 not exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) during a school year.
23
24      SECTION 2.   Arkansas Code § 6-18-2505(b)(1), concerning the
25 disbursement of account funds under the Arkansas Children's Educational
26 Freedom Account Program, is amended to read as follows:
27      (b)(1)(A) On behalf of participating students enrolled in participating
28 schools or with participating service providers and at the direction of a
29 participating student's parent, the Department of Education shall make
30 disbursements from the participating student's account to the participating
31 school or participating service provider in which the participating student
32 is enrolled for qualifying expenses.
33(B)   A disbursement to a participating student's account
34 under subdivision (b)(1)(A) of this section shall be made only after the
35 participating student achieves at least the minimum score established by the
36 division under subdivision (g)(2)(A)(i) of this section that is required on
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1 the annual assessment that each participating student must take under § 6-18-
2 2509.
3
4SECTION 3.     Arkansas Code § 6-18-2505(g), concerning procedures to
5 determine whether a student participating in the Arkansas Children's
6 Educational Freedom Account Program is eligible to continue participating in
7 the program, is amended to read as follows:
8(g)(1)     The division shall create procedures to ensure that a fair
9 process exists to determine whether a participating student is no longer
10 eligible for participation in the Arkansas Children’s Educational Freedom
11 Account Program, including without limitation a participating student who is
12 no longer eligible for participation in the Arkansas Children’s Educational
13 Freedom Account Program due to his or her failure to demonstrate academic
14 achievement or academic growth.
15(2)(A)(i)   The procedures created by the division under
16 subdivision (g)(1) of this section shall include a minimum score requirement
17 for the annual assessment that each participating student must take under §
18 6-18-2509.
19(ii)   The minimum score requirement under subdivision
20 (g)(2)(A)(i) of this section shall not apply to a participating student who:
21(a)   Was enrolled during the previous school
22 year in a public school that has a rating of "D" or "F" under §§ 6-15-2105
23 and 6-15-2106 and state board rules during the student's first year
24 participating in the Arkansas Children's Educational Freedom Account Program;
25 or
26(b)   Has an individualized service plan and is
27 determined by a participating private school to need an exemption from
28 standardized testing because of the existence of a significant cognitive
29 disability.
30(B)    The amount a participating student is eligible to
31 receive in his or her account shall be reduced in a manner determined by the
32 state board based on the participating student's performance on the annual
33 assessment required by the state board under § 6-18-2509.
34(C)    If a participating student fails to achieve the
35 minimum score requirement for the annual assessment required under
36 subdivision (g)(2)(A) of this section, then the participating student shall
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1 no longer be eligible for participation in the Arkansas Children's
2 Educational Freedom Account Program at the beginning of the next school year.
3
4      SECTION 4.     Arkansas Code § 6-18-2506, concerning initial and
5 continuing eligibility requirements for students under the Arkansas
6 Children's Educational Freedom Account Program, is amended to add an
7 additional subsection to read as follows:
8      (k)   The following students shall not be eligible for an account under
9 the Arkansas Children's Educational Freedom Account Program:
10(1)    A student who attends a private school in Arkansas at the
11 time of his or her initial application for an account under the Arkansas
12 Children's Educational Freedom Account Program; or
13(2)    A student who currently has an account under the Arkansas
14 Children's Educational Freedom Account Program and attended a private school
15 in Arkansas before his or her application for and award of an account under
16 the Arkansas Children's Educational Freedom Account Program.
17
18      SECTION 5.     Arkansas Code § 6-18-2509(a) and (b), concerning annual
19 assessment requirements for participating students under the Arkansas
20 Children's Educational Freedom Account Program, are amended to read as
21 follows:
22      (a)(1)(A)    Each participating school and participating service provider
23 shall provide for each participating student to annually take an assessment
24 approved by the State Board of Education, which shall include:
25(A)(i)    An examination identified by the state board
26 that is required for students attending public schools; or
27(B)(ii)   A state board-approved nationally recognized
28 norm-referenced test or a statewide assessment, which measures, at a minimum,
29 literacy and math.
30(B)   The annual assessment approved by the state board
31 under subdivision (a)(1)(A) of this section shall be the same annual
32 assessment administered to each participating student.
33(C)   The assessment taken by each participating student
34 under this section shall be administered by and completed at an educational
35 service cooperative in Arkansas.
36(2)(A)     However, a participating student who has an
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1 individualized service plan and is determined by a participating private
2 school to need an exemption from standardized testing due to the existence of
3 a significant cognitive disability is not required to take the test required
4 under subdivision (a)(1) of this section.
5(B)   If a student is not required to take the test required
6 under subdivision (a)(1) of this section, a participating private school
7 shall annually make provision for the student to take an alternate assessment
8 approved by the state board or prepare a portfolio that provides information
9 on a the student's progress to the student's parent or guardian.
10      (b)   For a participating student who is served by a participating
11 service provider that is not a private school that is a participating school
12 during or after the 2024-2025 school year, his or her parent shall provide
13 for his or her child who is a participating student to take an approved
14 examination meeting the standards established under subsection (a) of this
15 section that is administered by and completed at an educational service
16 cooperative in Arkansas.
17
18      SECTION 6.    Arkansas Code § 12-18-402(b), concerning the individuals
19 who are mandated reporters, is amended to add an additional subdivision to
20 read as follows:
21(44)    A person who is a participating service provider to a
22 participating student under the Arkansas Children's Educational Freedom
23 Account Program, § 6-18-2501 et seq., when the participating student is
24 homeschooled."
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