An act TO ALLOW A PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEE TO BE 10 RELEASED FROM HIS OR HER CONTRACT BY A CERTAIN DATE 11 UPON HIS OR HER WRITTEN REQUEST, the official text

Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.

1 State of Arkansas             As Engrossed: H2/3/25
2 95th General Assembly
                                     A Bill

3 Regular Session, 2025                                             HOUSE BILL 1236

4

5 By: Representative Joey Carr

6 By: Senator B. Davis

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8                               For An Act To Be Entitled

9   AN ACT TO ALLOW A PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEE TO BE

10  RELEASED FROM HIS OR HER CONTRACT BY A CERTAIN DATE

11  UPON HIS OR HER WRITTEN REQUEST; TO DECLARE AN

12  EMERGENCY; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

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14

15                              Subtitle

16                       TO ALLOW A PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEE TO BE

17                       RELEASED FROM HIS OR HER CONTRACT BY A

18                       CERTAIN DATE UPON HIS OR HER WRITTEN

19                       REQUEST; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.

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21 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:

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23  SECTION 1. Arkansas Code Title 6, Chapter 17, Subchapter 3, is amended

24 to add an additional section to read as follows:

25  6-17-311. Public school employee contract -- Release.

26  (a) An individual employed by a public school district or an open-

27 enrollment public charter school may unilaterally rescind his or her signed

28 contract for the subsequent school year if:

29  (1) He or she submits a signed, written document to the public

30 school district superintendent or his or her designee or the director of the

31 open-enrollment public charter school or his or her designee that provides

32 notification that he or she is rescinding his or her signed contract for the

33 subsequent school year; and

34  (2)(A) The signed, written request under subdivision (a)(1) of

35 this section is submitted before the end of the business day on May 15.

36                       (B) If May 15 falls on a weekend, then the signed, written

    *TNL057*                                                      02-03-2025 09:41:16 TNL057
    As Engrossed: H2/3/25                                                 HB1236

1 request under subdivision (a)(1) of this section shall be submitted before

2 the end of the business day on the Friday before May 15.

3   (b) The rights conferred under this section do not conflict with

4 requirements and restrictions under � 6-17-2403.

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6   SECTION 2. EMERGENCY CLAUSE. It is found and determined by the

7 General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that public school districts and

8 open-enrollment public charter schools will begin drafting employee contracts

9 as early as March 2025 for 2025-2026 school year; and that this act is

10 immediately necessary to ensure public school districts and open-enrollment

11 public charter schools correctly draft and issue employee contracts in time

12 for the 2025-2026 school year. Therefore, an emergency is declared to exist,

13 and this act being immediately necessary for the preservation of the public

14 peace, health, and safety shall become effective on:

15           (1) The date of its approval by the Governor;

16           (2) If the bill is neither approved nor vetoed by the Governor,

17 the expiration of the period of time during which the Governor may veto the

18 bill; or

19           (3) If the bill is vetoed by the Governor and the veto is

20 overridden, the date the last house overrides the veto.

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22                         /s/Joey Carr

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