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HB 1938

Establishes the offenses of harassment of a school or recreation athletic official and entry or remaining on site of a school or recreation athletic contest after being forbidden

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Donna Barnes

HB 1938 increases district and school planning requirements, mandates annual literacy-focused plans and parental involvement, and establishes a unified district strategic plan syst

Referred: Emerging Issues(H)
#crimesandpunishment #criminalprocedure
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Bill Summary · HB 1938

Summary — HB 1938 (Arkansas, 95th General Assembly, Regular Session 2025)

Note on source material: The provided documents include text from multiple, unrelated measures (including an Illinois bill and an item titled about a suffrage restoration). This summary focuses on the Arkansas measure whose text amends Arkansas Code Title 6 (K–12 education) and for which a Fiscal Impact Statement (4/1/25) was prepared.

Purpose / Intent

HB 1938 would revise Arkansas law to (1) strengthen requirements for school- and district-level planning, including parental involvement and literacy efforts; (2) clarify responsibilities of the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE); and (3) require annual district strategic plans and cooperative review processes to align uses of funding and supports for schools identified under federal accountability.

Key provisions and statutory changes

  • Amends § 6-15-1702(a): Requires each public school district and each public school, in collaboration with parents, to include a parental involvement plan within the school-level improvement plan (the plan must reflect family needs and engagement programs).
  • Amends § 6-15-2904: Updates language on DESE responsibility to develop and implement a comprehensive accountability system for Arkansas public schools/districts (text in the file is partially redlined; main intent is to affirm DESE role in assessment, standards, and support-level identification).
  • Amends § 6-15-2914 (school-level improvement plans and district support plans):
    • Requires schools to submit school-level improvement plans to their district by May 1 annually (for implementation the following school year).
    • Requires inclusion of a literacy plan (aligned to district needs and based on the science of reading) for districts and open-enrollment charter schools.
    • Requires parental involvement plan inclusion and public posting of school-level plans by August 1.
    • District support plans (for districts receiving Level 2–5 supports) must be submitted to DESE annually by September 1 and posted to the district website within 10 days of submission.
    • A district literacy plan is required when ≥40% of students scored “in need of support” in prior-year summative reading assessment; the literacy plan must set reading goals and describe funding prioritization (including use of Enhanced Student Achievement Funding under §6-20-2305).
    • Requires monitoring and annual evaluation of implementation fidelity and goal progress.
  • Adds § 6-15-2919 (new — District strategic plans / unified application system):
    • Requires each district and open-enrollment charter to submit a district strategic plan to DESE annually by June 30 for the upcoming school year.
    • District strategic plans must include (at minimum): a literacy and mathematics plan addressing supports/acceleration based on student data; information on prioritization/intended use of funding (including Enhanced Student Achievement Funding); and how the district will support schools identified for targeted/comprehensive federal supports under ESSA (as of Jan 1, 2025).
    • Educational service cooperatives must review/monitor member district strategic plans; DESE will collaborate with cooperatives to review plans and approve proposed funding use.
    • Districts/charters must post approved strategic plans on their websites by October 1.
    • The bill directs DESE to create a (truncated in the file) unified application/system to promote efficiency and reduce duplication in plan implementation.

Who is affected

  • Public school districts, individual public schools, and open-enrollment public charter schools in Arkansas.
  • Parents and families (through increased emphasis on parental involvement).
  • DESE and educational service cooperatives (expanded review, approval, and collaborative roles).
  • Schools identified for targeted or comprehensive support under ESSA (greater explicit planning/monitoring of district support).

Fiscal and procedural notes

  • Fiscal Impact Statement (Arkansas Department of Education, 4/1/25): No fiscal impact reported.
  • Deadlines inserted/clarified in statute:
    • School-level plans to districts by May 1 annually.
    • School-level plans posted by August 1.
    • District strategic plan submission to DESE by June 30.
    • District support plans to DESE by September 1.
    • Approved district strategic plans posted by October 1.
  • Source document is truncated in places (notably the unified application/system description), so some implementation details are incomplete in the available text.

Legislative status / procedural caveat

The metadata provided contains mixed and conflicting action records (including items from another state and other bills). The header lists “Died In Committee,” and committee activity (public hearing 3/26/25; testimony recorded; left pending) is shown; other action entries appear to refer to a different bill or jurisdiction. Consult official Arkansas legislative records or the Arkansas General Assembly website for final status and any enacted version text.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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