Bill > SB624

This bill amends Arkansas's public school choice laws to expand students' options for transferring between schools, primarily by allowing students to transfer to another public school within their own school district in addition to transferring to nonresident districts. The bill modifies several key provisions of existing law, including application processes, transfer eligibility, and transfer procedures. Specifically, students can now transfer to another public school within their resident district if certain conditions are met, such as the current school being rated poorly or if the parent believes the transfer is in the student's best interest. School districts are now required to establish policies that allow students to transfer between schools within their district and must publicly post these transfer procedures. The bill also maintains existing protections, such as preventing discrimination in transfer applications and ensuring that transferred students can participate in extracurricular activities. Additionally, the bill requires school districts to annually report transfer application data to the state's Department of Education, which will then publish this information online. The changes aim to provide more educational flexibility for students while maintaining reasonable constraints to prevent disruption of school operations.

Education

https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/Detail?id=sb624&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R