An act CONCERNING A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT 11 IMPLEMENTS A FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEK FOR A PUBLIC SCHOOL 12 WITHIN ITS DISTRICT, the official text

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

1 State of Arkansas      As Engrossed: H4/2/25
2 95th General Assembly
                              A Bill

3 Regular Session, 2025                                                      HOUSE BILL 1940

4

5 By: Representatives Walker, J. Mayberry, S. Berry, Cozart, Eaton, Hall, Hollowell, McClure, Milligan,

6 K. Moore, Painter, Pearce, Puryear, J. Richardson, Schulz, Vaught, Wooten

7 By: Senator Crowell

8

9                        For An Act To Be Entitled

10  AN ACT CONCERNING A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT

11  IMPLEMENTS A FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEK FOR A PUBLIC SCHOOL

12  WITHIN ITS DISTRICT; TO ESTABLISH THE REQUIREMENTS

13  FOR A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT INITIATES AND

14  MAINTAINS A FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEK; TO DECLARE AN

15  EMERGENCY; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

16

17

18                       Subtitle

19                       TO ESTABLISH THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A

20                       PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT INITIATES

21                       AND MAINTAINS A FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEK;

22                       AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.

23

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

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26  SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 6-10-117 is amended to read as follows:

27  6-10-117. Four-day school week -- Definition.

28  (a)(1) It is found and determined by the General Assembly that

29 granting local public school districts greater flexibility in scheduling

30 instructional time can reap educational benefits for the students and

31 financial rewards for the public school district.

32  (2) It is the intent of this section to authorize local public

33 school districts to initiate and maintain public school educational programs

34 on a four-day school-week basis, so long as if planned instructional time is

35 in accord with requirements established by meets the State Board of Education

36 requirements promulgated under subsection (d) of this section.

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    As Engrossed: H4/2/25                                                   HB1940

1   (b) As used in this section, "four-day school week" means an

2 educational program in which all students attend school for four (4) days a

3 week but no fewer than the total number of hours required by the Standards

4 for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts in a five-

5 day school week.

6   (c)(1) The board of directors of any a public school district is

7 authorized to may initiate and maintain a four-day school week in any or all

8 of the public schools in the public school district.

9   (2) The state board and the Department of Education shall not

10 have the authority to approve or deny the decision of a public school

11 district board of directors to initiate and maintain a four-day school week

12 in any or all of its public schools under subdivision (c)(1) of this section.

13  (d)(1) The State Board of Education state board shall establish

14 appropriate standards, guidelines, and rules for only the following:

15 (A)(i) The determination of average daily membership of school districts and

16 for the distribution of state aid to each local public school district that

17 elects to operate any or all of the public schools of its school district on

18 a four-day school-week basis, to provide the public school district with an

19 equitable share of state aid funds.

20                         (ii) The state aid funds under subdivision

21 (d)(1)(A)(i) of this section that are designated to equate a four-day school-

22 week operation by the school district to ensure the educational opportunities

23 provided by a public school district offering a four-day school week are

24 equivalent to the educational opportunities provided by a public school

25 district offering a five-day school week or a public school that follows a

26 traditional calendar;

27                  (B) The requirement that each public school district that

28 initiates and maintains a four-day school week for any or all of its public

29 schools under this section shall:

30                         (i)(a) Average six (6) hours of instruction per

31 school day and thirty (30) hours of instruction per school week.

32                         (b) The hourly requirements under subdivision

33 (d)(1)(B)(i)(a) of this section may be met with four (4) seven-and-one-half-

34 hour school instructional days.

35                         (c) A public school district that initiates

36 and maintains a four-day school week in a public school that provides

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    As Engrossed: H4/2/25                                                  HB1940

1 instruction to students in grades nine through twelve (9-12) shall meet the

2 clock-hour equivalency of one hundred twenty (120) clock hours for a Carnegie

3 unit;

4                          (ii)(a) Provide documentation to the Division of

5 Elementary and Secondary Education to determine the success of the

6 educational program.

7                          (b) Assessment measures utilized by the

8 division under subdivision (d)(1)(B)(ii)(a) of this section shall include

9 without limitation state-approved criterion-referenced tests and other

10 assessment instruments required or approved by the division; and

11                         (iii) Include the four-day school week on the agenda

12 for the public school district's required annual report to the public to

13 determine local support for and provide for continual community input into

14 the success and continuation of four-day school weeks; and

15                   (C) The forfeiture of the ability to initiate and maintain

16 a four-day school week under this section if a public school district:

17                         (i) Is classified by the state board as in need of

18 Level 5 -- Intensive support; and

19                         (ii) Demonstrates persistent underperformance, as

20 defined by state benchmarks, on the state-approved criterion-referenced test

21 and other assessment instruments required or approved by the division.

22         (2) Provided, however, that a A public school district shall not

23 receive any more state financial aid for offering a four-day school week of

24 instruction than it would have received for offering a five-day school week

25 of instruction.

26         (3) The state board and the department shall not promulgate

27 rules regarding public school districts that initiate and maintain a four-day

28 school week for any or all of its public schools that are in addition to the

29 requirements under this subsection (d).

30         (4) A public school district that initiates and maintains a

31 four-day school week for any or all of its public schools under this section

32 shall:

33                   (A) Demonstrate compliance with the requirements under

34 subdivision (d)(1) of this section through a state-approved electronic

35 application; and

36                   (B) Not be required to submit additional reports or

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    As Engrossed: H4/2/25                                                 HB1940

1 demonstrations of compliance with the requirements under subdivision (d)(1)

2 of this section to the state board or division.

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

5 General Assembly of the State of Arkansas that school districts must

6 determine and publish their school calendars in advance of the upcoming 2025-

7 2026 school year; that school districts must have their school calendars

8 established in order to prepare appropriate staffing, operational, and

9 financial needs; that parents, students, staff members, and others associated

10 with school districts must know in advance of the upcoming school year what

11 the school calendar will be in order to make necessary arrangements; and that

12 this act is immediately necessary to ensure school districts have the

13 required information to arrange for and provide constitutionally mandated

14 education to enrolled students. Therefore, an emergency is declared to exist,

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

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

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

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

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

20 bill; or

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

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

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24                         /s/Walker

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