An act CONCERNING STUDENT MENTORS, the official text

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

1 State of Arkansas          As Engrossed: S3/18/25
2 95th General Assembly
                                   A Bill

3 Regular Session, 2025                                           SENATE BILL 266

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5 By: Senator J. Dotson

6 By: Representative Breaux

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8                            For An Act To Be Entitled

9   AN ACT CONCERNING STUDENT MENTORS; AND FOR OTHER

10  PURPOSES.

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13                                    Subtitle

14                       TO AUTHORIZE A PUBLIC SCHOOL TO ADOPT A

15                       POLICY FOR ONE OR MORE STUDENT MENTORS.

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

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

20 to add an additional section to read as follows:

21  6-17-311. Student mentor -- Definitions.

22  (a) A public school may adopt a policy for one (1) or more student

23 mentors to provide support, services, and programs for enrolled students,

24 staff employed by the public school, and parents of enrolled students as

25 assigned by the public school.

26  (b) A policy adopted under subsection (a) of this section shall

27 include the following without limitation:

28  (1) A description of the support, services, or programs to which

29 a student mentor may be assigned;

30  (2) A requirement that a public school superintendent or

31 director, as relevant, that has a student mentor or student mentors under

32 this section inform all parents of the availability of the support, services,

33 and programs provided by the student mentor or students mentors; and

34  (3)(A) A requirement that a public school receive parental

35 consent before a student participates in or receives support, services, and

36 programs provided by a student mentor.

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    As Engrossed: S3/18/25                                                  SB266

1           (B) If a public school has more than one (1) student

2 mentor, then a parental consent form required under subdivision (b)(3)(A) of

3 this section shall allow a parent to select a student mentor from a list

4 provided by a public school.

5   (c) A public school that adopts a policy under subsection (a) of this

6 section shall publish a list of student mentors, which may include without

7 limitation school chaplains, and any religious affiliation of the student

8 mentor, if applicable, employed by or accepted as a volunteer at the public

9 school under subsection (a) of this section on the website of the public

10 school.

11  (d)(1) Before a student mentor under this section is permitted access

12 to public school grounds when public school students are present and before

13 he or she has direct contact with public school students, a public school

14 shall pay the full cost of a:

15          (A) Statewide and nationwide criminal records check by the

16 Identification Bureau of the Division of Arkansas State Police, which shall

17 conform to the applicable federal standards and include the taking of the

18 student mentor's fingerprints; and

19          (B) Child Maltreatment Central Registry check by the

20 Department of Human Services.

21          (2) Upon completion of the statewide and nationwide criminal

22 records checks and the Child Maltreatment Central Registry check, the

23 Identification Bureau of the Division of Arkansas State Police and the

24 department shall forward all releasable information to the public school and

25 to the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.

26          (3) A public school shall not employ or accept as a volunteer a

27 student mentor who has registered or is required to register as a sex

28 offender under the Sex Offender Registration Act of 1997, � 12-12-901 et seq.

29  (e) As used in this section:

30          (1) "Parent" means a parent, legal guardian, or person standing

31 in loco parentis to a student;

32          (2) "Public school" means:

33          (A) A school operated by a public school district; or

34          (B) An open-enrollment public charter school; and

35          (3) "School chaplain" means a member of the clergy who

36 volunteers or is employed by a public school who:

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    As Engrossed: S3/18/25                           SB266

1   (A) Functions in a pluralistic environment; and

2   (B) Directly and indirectly supports the free exercise of

3 religion by all individuals in a public school.

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5                           /s/J. Dotson

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