ARKANSAS (KNWA/KFTA) — As many Arkansas students and teachers return to school this week, several laws that went into place on August 1 may impact them.
Here are just a few of the new laws that will be affecting schools and education this school year.
Act 317: School policies on overnight trips
This law is also referred to as the “bathroom bill” and it bans students from using “multiple occupancy restroom[s] or changing area[s]” that are inconsistent with the sex listed on their birth certificate.
On school trips, students are required to share sleeping quarters with people consistent with the sex listed on the student’s birth certificate or be provided with single-occupancy sleeping quarters.
Schools will also be required to provide “reasonable accommodation” for students unwilling to use a multiple occupancy restroom or changing area.
Act 542: Bans the use of preferred pronouns in schools without parental consent
Also known as the “Given Name Act”, this law bans teachers and school employees from using a student’s preferred pronouns unless the school receives written permission from a parent or legal guardian.
Act 788: The Religious Viewpoint Antidiscrimination Act
This law requires public schools to allow students to express their religious viewpoints in homework, classwork, or artwork “without discrimination based on the religious content.”
The work has to be graded “by ordinary academic standards of substance and relevance” and “against other conventional, pedagogical topics as identified by a public school district.”
