Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Arkansas General Assembly, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
1 State of Arkansas As Engrossed: S2/27/25 H3/12/25
2 95th General Assembly
A Bill
3 Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 167
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5 By: Senator A. Clark
6 By: Representative Brooks
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8 For An Act To Be Entitled
9 AN ACT TO AMEND THE DATES BY WHICH APPLICATIONS FOR A
10 TRANSFER UNDER THE ARKANSAS OPPORTUNITY PUBLIC SCHOOL
11 CHOICE ACT AND PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE ACT OF 2015 SHALL
12 BE SUBMITTED; TO AMEND THE DATE BY WHICH A FOSTER
13 CHILD SHALL SUBMIT A REQUEST TO TRANSFER SCHOOLS; AND
14 FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
15
16
17 Subtitle
18 TO AMEND THE DATES BY WHICH CERTAIN
19 REQUESTS TO TRANSFER PUBLIC SCHOOLS OR
20 PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS SHALL BE
21 SUBMITTED.
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23 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
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25 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 6-18-227(b)(1), concerning a request for a
26 student to transfer from his or her resident district or public school to
27 another school district or public school under the Arkansas Opportunity
28 Public School Choice Act, is amended to read as follows:
29 (b)(1) Upon the request of a parent, guardian, or student, if the
30 student is eighteen (18) years of age or older, a student may transfer from
31 his or her resident district or public school to another a nonresident school
32 district or another public school under this section if, at the time of the
33 request under this subdivision (b)(1):
34 (A) Either:
35 (i) The resident public school district has been
36 classified by the state board as a public school district in need of Level 5
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1 -- Intensive support under � 6-15-2913 or � 6-15-2915; or
2 (ii) The resident public school has a rating of "F"
3 under �� 6-15-2105 and 6-15-2106 and state board rules, as allowed in
4 subdivision (b)(3)(B)(i)(b) of this section; and
5 (B) Except as provided in subsection (n) of this section,
6 the parent, guardian, or student, if the student is eighteen (18) years of
7 age or older, has notified both the resident and nonresident school districts
8 of the request for a transfer no earlier than January 1 and no later than May
9 1 June 1 of the school year before the school year in which the student
10 intends to transfer.
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12 SECTION 2. Arkansas Code � 6-18-227(b)(3)(A), concerning notification
13 of public school transfers options to students enrolled in or assigned to
14 certain public school districts under the Arkansas Opportunity Public School
15 Choice Act, is amended to read as follows:
16 (3)(A) For each student enrolled in or assigned to a public
17 school district that is classified by the state board as a public school
18 district in need of Level 5 -- Intensive support under � 6-15-2913 or � 6-15-
19 2915 or a public school that has a rating of "F" under �� 6-15-2105 and 6-15-
20 2106 and state board rules, a school district shall:
21 (i) Timely notify the parent, guardian, or student
22 if the student is eighteen (18) years of age or older, as soon as practicable
23 after the designation is made, of all options available under this section;
24 and
25 (ii)(a) Offer the parent, guardian, or student if
26 the student is eighteen (18) years of age or older, an opportunity to submit
27 an application no earlier than January 1 and no later than May 1 June 1 to
28 enroll the student in the upcoming school year in any public school district
29 that is not classified by the state board as a public school district in need
30 of Level 5 -- Intensive support under �� 6-15-2913 and 6-15-2915 � 6-15-2913
31 or � 6-15-2915 or a public school within the resident district that does not
32 have a rating of "F" under �� 6-15-2105 and 6-15-2106 and state board rules.
33 (b) The opportunity to continue attending the
34 public school or school district that the student transfers to under this
35 section remains in effect until the student graduates from high school.
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1 SECTION 3. Arkansas Code � 6-18-227(d)(2)(C) and (D), concerning
2 notification to a student of his or her transfer into a nonresident district
3 under the Arkansas Opportunity Public School Choice Act, are amended to read
4 as follows:
5 (C) Except as provided in subdivision (b)(1)(B)(ii) of
6 this section, by July 1 of the school year in which the student seeks to
7 enroll in a nonresident district, the nonresident district shall notify the
8 parent or guardian of the student and the resident district in writing as to
9 whether the student's application has been accepted or rejected.
10 (D) If the parent or guardian of the student has applied
11 to attend a school within the student's resident district, the resident
12 district shall notify the parent or guardian of the student in writing as to
13 whether the student's application has been accepted or rejected by July 1.
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15 SECTION 4. Arkansas Code � 6-18-227(m)(2)(D), concerning a Changing
16 Schools/Athletic Participation form required under the Arkansas Opportunity
17 Public School Choice Act, is amended to read as follows:
18 (D) A Changing Schools/Athletic Participation form shall
19 be used only for eligibility determination of a student who transfers to
20 another public school or nonresident school district under this section and
21 is enrolled in the receiving school district by July 1 before the student
22 enters grades seven through twelve (7-12).
23
24 SECTION 5. Arkansas Code � 6-18-233(d), concerning the deadline by
25 which a request by a foster child to transfer to another public school or
26 public school district shall be submitted, is amended to read as follows:
27 (d)(1) A request to transfer under subsection (c) of this section
28 shall be:
29 (A) Made on a form approved by the division; and
30 (B) Postmarked no later than May 1 June 1 of the year in
31 which the student seeks to begin the fall semester at the public school
32 district.
33 (2)(A) By July 1 of the school year in which the student seeks
34 to transfer under this section, the superintendent of the public school
35 district shall notify the foster parent or the foster child, if the foster
36 child is over eighteen (18) years of age, in writing as to whether the foster
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1 child's application has been accepted or rejected.
2 (B)(i) If the application is rejected, the superintendent
3 of the public school district shall state in the notification letter the
4 reason for rejection.
5 (ii) If the application is accepted, the
6 superintendent of the public school district shall state in the notification
7 letter a reasonable deadline by which the foster child shall enroll in the
8 public school district and after which the acceptance notification is null.
9
10 SECTION 6. Arkansas Code � 6-18-1904(f)(2)(D), concerning a Changing
11 Schools/Athletic Participation form under the Public School Choice Act of
12 2015, is amended to read as follows:
13 (D) A Changing Schools/Athletic Participation form shall
14 be used only for eligibility determination of a student who transfers to
15 another public school or nonresident school district under this subchapter
16 and is enrolled in the receiving school district by July 1 before the student
17 enters grades seven through twelve (7-12).
18
19 SECTION 7. Arkansas Code � 6-18-1905(a)(1), concerning an application
20 to transfer under the Public School Choice Act of 2015, is amended to read as
21 follows:
22 (a)(1) An application under this section shall be accepted no earlier
23 than January 1 and no later than May 1 June 1 each year.
24
25 SECTION 8. Arkansas Code � 6-18-1905(a)(3), concerning the date by
26 which a student shall submit an application to transfer under the Public
27 School Choice Act of 2015, is amended to read as follows:
28 (3) If a student seeks to attend a school in a nonresident
29 district, the student's parent or guardian, or a student who is eighteen (18)
30 years of age or older, shall submit an application:
31 (A) To the nonresident district and to the student's
32 resident district;
33 (B) On a form approved by the Division of Elementary and
34 Secondary Education; and
35 (C) Postmarked or delivered no later than May 1 June 1 of
36 the year in which the student seeks to begin the fall semester at the
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1 nonresident district, except as otherwise provided for dependents of
2 uniformed service members and uniformed service veterans under this
3 subchapter.
4
5 SECTION 9. Arkansas Code � 6-18-1905(e)(1), concerning the date by
6 which a nonresident district shall notify a student of his or her transfer
7 application's acceptance or rejection under the Public School Choice Act of
8 2015, is amended to read as follows:
9 (e)(1) By July 1 of the school year in which a student seeks to enroll
10 in a nonresident district under this subchapter, the superintendent of the
11 nonresident district shall notify the student's parent or guardian and the
12 resident district in writing as to whether the student's application has been
13 accepted or rejected.
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15 /s/A. Clark
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5 03-12-2025 13:46:04 TNL099Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.