The Arkansas Legislature passed several good laws related to home schooling this year.
These laws are set to take effect in the spring and summer of 2017.
You can download a list of these laws–and an analysis of what each one does–here.
Last night at 7:30 pm, the Arkansas House of Representatives killed a bill that would have allowed home school students to compete fairly for the Governor’s Distinguished Scholar scholarships.
SB578 was a bill that both the Education Alliance and the Department of Higher Education agreed upon. It was a non-controversial solution to a major problem: Overwhelmingly-qualified home schoolers being denied their scholarships.
During the 2009 Arkansas legislative session, Sen. Gilbert Baker (R-Conway) proposed what’s known as the “Tim Tebow bill,” which allows home-educated students to participate in sports and other extracurricular activities at their local public school. The bill didn’t pass, but it received a lot of attention and interest. Below is a video of Sen. Baker explaining the bill.