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Committee rejects bill that would have required schools to administer statewide student prevention survey
Summary
The committee debated House Bill 1755 to require public schools to administer the Arkansas Prevention Needs Assessment beginning in the 2025–26 school year; supporters said the survey drives federal grant funding, opponents argued it reduces local control. The committee voted down a motion to give the bill a do‑pass recommendation.
The House Education Committee considered a bill to require all public schools to administer the Arkansas Prevention Needs Assessment (APNA) to sixth, eighth, tenth and twelfth graders beginning in the 2025–26 school year.
Sponsor Representative Tara Shepherd told the committee the bill would make the survey mandatory for public schools, direct the Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health in the Department of Human Services to provide technical assistance, require written parent notice with an opt‑out option, and direct results to state legislative leadership and relevant committee chairs. Shepherd said federal funding would cover survey costs where available; if federal funds were not available, schools would not be required to complete the survey.
Witnesses from the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership described how APNA data had helped coalitions compete for federal grants. Tanisha Barnes, deputy director of the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership, said 13 coalitions applied for federal grants using APNA data; seven were successful and brought back $4.3 million in five‑year awards, with additional multi‑year follow‑on funding discussed in testimony.
Opponents and some committee members raised concerns about local control, parental notification and participation rates. Several members said participation had fallen since the COVID‑era high: testimony cited a drop from about 275 participating districts pre‑COVID to about 150, with some regions showing participation rates around 48% among targeted grades. Committee members asked whether parental opt‑out would skew data and whether the response rates produced statistically reliable results for grant applications and local planning.
Department witnesses and the sponsor said data are returned to each district with technical assistance and regional prevention staff help districts interpret results and plan interventions. The sponsor said the survey is anonymized and that individual students are not identified in results.
After extended debate, the committee took a motion to give the bill a do‑pass recommendation. The motion failed on a recorded voice vote; the chair announced the bill had failed to receive a do‑pass recommendation in committee.
