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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly 2
Fiscal Session, 2026 HR 1008 3
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By: Representative Wooten 5
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HOUSE RESOLUTION 8
TO AUTHORIZE THE INTRODUCTION OF A NONAPPROPRIATION 9
BILL CONCERNING THE ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL 10
FREEDOM ACCOUNT PROGRAM; TO AMEND THE AMOUNT A 11
PARTICIPATING STUDENT RECEIVES IN HIS OR HER ACCOUNT 12
EACH YEAR UNDER THE ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL 13
FREEDOM ACCOUNT PROGRAM; AND TO AMEND THE TESTING 14
REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE 15
ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM ACCOUNT 16
PROGRAM. 17
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Subtitle 20
TO AUTHORIZE THE INTRODUCTION OF A 21
NONAPPROPRIATION BILL CONCERNING THE 22
ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM 23
ACCOUNT PROGRAM. 24
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BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL 27
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 28
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THAT Senator King is authorized to introduce a bill which as introduced 30
will read substantially as follows: 31
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"Title 33
AN ACT CONCERNING THE ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM ACCOUNT 34
PROGRAM; TO AMEND THE AMOUNT A PARTICIPATING STUDENT RECEIVES IN HIS OR HER 35
ACCOUNT EACH YEAR UNDER THE ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM ACCOUNT 36
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PROGRAM; TO AMEND THE TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE 1
ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM ACCOUNT PROGRAM; AND FOR OTHER 2
PURPOSES. 3
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Subtitle 5
CONCERNING THE ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL FREEDOM ACCOUNT PROGRAM. 6
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 8
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SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 6-18-2505(a)(1), concerning the funds 10
appropriated to a participating student's account, is amended to read as 11
follows: 12
(a)(1)(A) The Except as provided under subsection (g) of this section, 13
the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education shall allocate annually to 14
each participating student's account, from funds appropriated to the Arkansas 15
Children's Educational Freedom Account Fund or otherwise made available for 16
the Arkansas Children's Educational Freedom Account Program, an amount equal 17
to ninety percent (90%) of the prior year's statewide foundation funding 18
allotted per student under § 6-20-2305. 19
(B) An amount allocated under subdivision (a)(1)(A) of 20
this section to a participating student who is a homeschooled student shall 21
not exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) during a school year. 22
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SECTION 2. Arkansas Code § 6-18-2505(b)(1), concerning the 24
disbursement of account funds under the Arkansas Children's Educational 25
Freedom Account Program, is amended to read as follows: 26
(b)(1)(A) On behalf of participating students enrolled in participating 27
schools or with participating service providers and at the direction of a 28
participating student's parent, the Department of Education shall make 29
disbursements from the participating student's account to the participating 30
school or participating service provider in which the participating student 31
is enrolled for qualifying expenses. 32
(B) A disbursement to a participating student's account 33
under subdivision (b)(1)(A) of this section shall be made only after the 34
participating student achieves at least the minimum score established by the 35
division under subdivision (g)(2)(A)(i) of this section that is required on 36
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the annual assessment that each participating student must take under § 6-18-1
2509. 2
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SECTION 3. Arkansas Code § 6-18-2505(g), concerning procedures to 4
determine whether a student participating in the Arkansas Children's 5
Educational Freedom Account Program is eligible to continue participating in 6
the program, is amended to read as follows: 7
(g)(1) The division shall create procedures to ensure that a fair 8
process exists to determine whether a participating student is no longer 9
eligible for participation in the Arkansas Children’s Educational Freedom 10
Account Program, including without limitation a participating student who is 11
no longer eligible for participation in the Arkansas Children’s Educational 12
Freedom Account Program due to his or her failure to demonstrate academic 13
achievement or academic growth. 14
(2)(A)(i) The procedures created by the division under 15
subdivision (g)(1) of this section shall include a minimum score requirement 16
for the annual assessment that each participating student must take under § 17
6-18-2509. 18
(ii) The minimum score requirement under subdivision 19
(g)(2)(A)(i) of this section shall not apply to a participating student who: 20
(a) Was enrolled during the previous school 21
year in a public school that has a rating of "D" or "F" under §§ 6-15-2105 22
and 6-15-2106 and state board rules during the student's first year 23
participating in the Arkansas Children's Educational Freedom Account Program; 24
or 25
(b) Has an individualized service plan and is 26
determined by a participating private school to need an exemption from 27
standardized testing because of the existence of a significant cognitive 28
disability. 29
(B) The amount a participating student is eligible to 30
receive in his or her account shall be reduced in a manner determined by the 31
state board based on the participating student's performance on the annual 32
assessment required by the state board under § 6-18-2509. 33
(C) If a participating student fails to achieve the 34
minimum score requirement for the annual assessment required under 35
subdivision (g)(2)(A) of this section, then the participating student shall 36
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no longer be eligible for participation in the Arkansas Children's 1
Educational Freedom Account Program at the beginning of the next school year. 2
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SECTION 4. Arkansas Code § 6-18-2506, concerning initial and 4
continuing eligibility requirements for students under the Arkansas 5
Children's Educational Freedom Account Program, is amended to add an 6
additional subsection to read as follows: 7
(k) The following students shall not be eligible for an account under 8
the Arkansas Children's Educational Freedom Account Program: 9
(1) A student who attends a private school in Arkansas at the 10
time of his or her initial application for an account under the Arkansas 11
Children's Educational Freedom Account Program; or 12
(2) A student who currently has an account under the Arkansas 13
Children's Educational Freedom Account Program and attended a private school 14
in Arkansas before his or her application for and award of an account under 15
the Arkansas Children's Educational Freedom Account Program. 16
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SECTION 5. Arkansas Code § 6-18-2509(a) and (b), concerning annual 18
assessment requirements for participating students under the Arkansas 19
Children's Educational Freedom Account Program, are amended to read as 20
follows: 21
(a)(1)(A) Each participating school and participating service provider 22
shall provide for each participating student to annually take an assessment 23
approved by the State Board of Education, which shall include: 24
(A)(i) An examination identified by the state board 25
that is required for students attending public schools; or 26
(B)(ii) A state board-approved nationally recognized 27
norm-referenced test or a statewide assessment, which measures, at a minimum, 28
literacy and math. 29
(B) The annual assessment approved by the state board 30
under subdivision (a)(1)(A) of this section shall be the same annual 31
assessment administered to each participating student. 32
(C) The assessment taken by each participating student 33
under this section shall be administered by and completed at an educational 34
service cooperative in Arkansas. 35
(2)(A) However, a participating student who has an 36
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individualized service plan and is determined by a participating private 1
school to need an exemption from standardized testing due to the existence of 2
a significant cognitive disability is not required to take the test required 3
under subdivision (a)(1) of this section. 4
(B) If a student is not required to take the test required 5
under subdivision (a)(1) of this section, a participating private school 6
shall annually make provision for the student to take an alternate assessment 7
approved by the state board or prepare a portfolio that provides information 8
on a the student's progress to the student's parent or guardian. 9
(b) For a participating student who is served by a participating 10
service provider that is not a private school that is a participating school 11
during or after the 2024-2025 school year, his or her parent shall provide 12
for his or her child who is a participating student to take an approved 13
examination meeting the standards established under subsection (a) of this 14
section that is administered by and completed at an educational service 15
cooperative in Arkansas. 16
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SECTION 6. Arkansas Code § 12-18-402(b), concerning the individuals 18
who are mandated reporters, is amended to add an additional subdivision to 19
read as follows: 20
(44) A person who is a participating service provider to a 21
participating student under the Arkansas Children's Educational Freedom 22
Account Program, § 6-18-2501 et seq., when the participating student is 23
homeschooled." 24
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