Bill > HB1025

This bill creates the Teacher Fair Dismissal Act of 2025, which establishes a comprehensive framework for teacher employment, evaluation, termination, and contract renewal in Arkansas public schools. The act defines key terms like "probationary teacher" and sets new standards for teacher evaluation, personnel files, and dismissal processes. It raises the standard for teacher termination from "not arbitrary, capricious, or discriminatory" to "just and reasonable cause" and shifts the compliance standard from strict to substantial compliance. The bill outlines specific procedures for contract renewal, including requirements for written notices of potential non-renewal or termination, mandatory hearings for teachers, and detailed guidelines for suspension. For teachers with three or more years of continuous employment, termination can only occur for specific reasons such as reduction in force, incompetent performance, conduct interfering with job duties, repeated neglect of duty, or other just causes. The bill also provides an appeals process for nonprobationary teachers, allowing them to appeal a school board's decision to the circuit court within 75 days. Additionally, the act includes provisions about notifying school resource officers about potential terminations while limiting the disclosure of sensitive details, and it exempts certain specialized teaching agreements from its provisions.

Education

https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/Detail?id=hb1025&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R