State Board Of Education Struggles With School Choice Law

A new school choice law adopted this year by the state legislature ran into complications as the Arkansas Board of Education struggled to to apply it to 12 students seeking district transfers under the new measure.

On Monday (Aug. 12), the state board denied appeals from 12 families of students seeking transfer requests.

John Lyon with our content partner, the Arkansas News Bureau, reports:

The School Choice Act of this year removes race as a factor in granting or denying student transfer requests, but it allows school districts under desegregation orders to opt out of the law — an option that 23 districts have exercised. Most of the appeals that came before the board Monday concerned transfer requests that were denied because the students’s home districts have opted out.

As it did at its July meeting, the board denied every appeal. Members said their hands were tied because they were not qualified to determine whether desegregation orders are valid.

“I’m obviously going to have to vote the way the law is written, but I don’t agree with it,” said newly appointed board member Diane Zook of Melbourne.

Other board members and parents shared their thoughts. You can access the full report at this link.