An act TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO 10 ISSUE A TEACHING LICENSE TO AN INDIVIDUAL WHO DOES 11 NOT MEET TRADITIONAL OR ALTERNATIVE LICENSURE 12 REQUIREMENTS UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, the official text

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

1 State of Arkansas           A Bill
2 95th General Assembly

3 Regular Session, 2025                                            HOUSE BILL 1305

4

5 By: Representative Andrews

6 By: Senator J. Dotson

7

8                             For An Act To Be Entitled

9   AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO

10  ISSUE A TEACHING LICENSE TO AN INDIVIDUAL WHO DOES

11  NOT MEET TRADITIONAL OR ALTERNATIVE LICENSURE

12  REQUIREMENTS UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS; AND FOR OTHER

13  PURPOSES.

14

15

16                            Subtitle

17                       TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

18                       TO ISSUE A TEACHING LICENSE TO AN

19                       INDIVIDUAL WHO DOES NOT MEET TRADITIONAL

20                       OR ALTERNATIVE LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS

21                       UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS.

22

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

24

25  SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 6-17-410, concerning the issuance,

26 revocation, and suspension of teaching licenses, is amended to add an

27 additional subsection to read as follows:

28  (k)(1) The state board shall issue a license to an individual who does

29 not meet the educational requirements of a traditional license and does not

30 qualify for licensure through other alternative educator preparation programs

31 if the individual has been approved for licensure and hire by a public school

32 district board of directors or a governing body of an open-enrollment public

33 charter school.

34  (2) A public school district board of directors or a governing

35 body of an open-enrollment public charter school that approves an individual

36 for licensure and hire under subdivision (k)(1) of this section shall submit

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                                                                           HB1305

1 a letter to the state board that requests the issuance of a license to the

2 individual.

3              (3) An individual who is issued a license under this subsection

4 (k) shall have one (1) of the following:

5                    (A) A bachelor's degree in a subject matter related to the

6 course material that he or she is being hired to teach;

7                    (B) An associate degree or trade certification and five

8 (5) years of documented career experience in a subject matter related to the

9 course material that he or she is being hired to teach; or

10                   (C) Ten (10) years of career experience in a subject

11 matter related to the course material that he or she is being hired to teach.

12             (4) An individual shall not be issued a teaching license under

13 this subsection if he or she has:

14                   (A) A true report in the Child Maltreatment Central

15 Registry;

16                   (B) Pled guilty or nolo contendere to or been found guilty

17 of any of the offenses under subsection (c) of this section by a court in the

18 State of Arkansas or of any similar offense by a court in another state or by

19 a federal court;

20                   (C) Failed to apply for and pass a statewide and

21 nationwide criminal records check conducted by the Division of Arkansas State

22 Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation; or

23                   (D) Failed to provide his or her fingerprints for a

24 statewide and nationwide criminal records check as required under � 6-17-417.

25             (5)(A) A license issued to an individual under this subsection

26 shall be valid for only the duration of his or her employment with the public

27 school district or open-enrollment public charter school that recommended him

28 or her for licensure under subdivision (k)(2) of this section.

29                   (B) Upon the conclusion of the individual's employment

30 with the public school district or open-enrollment public charter school that

31 recommended him or her for licensure under subdivision (k)(2) of this

32 section, the individual's license under this subsection (k) shall expire.

33

34

35

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