Arkansas Senate approves bill to codify religious-expression rights in public schools

The Arkansas Senate on Tuesday passed Senate Bill 2 23, the "Religious Rights at Public Schools Act of 2025," a measure that compiles and directs schools to publicize existing protections for religious expression by students, staff and guests at public and open-enrollment charter schools.

Proponents said the bill merely gathers existing precedent and statute in one place and requires districts to notify parents, students and staff of those rights. Opponents said some language in the bill is broad enough to permit religious materials or guest speakers in classrooms and risks blurring the line between religious instruction and public education.

Senator Mark Johnson, the bill’s sponsor, told the Senate the measure “is not a bill that adds any specific, enumerated rights to those that students, the teachers, administrators, and parents have in our schools.” He said the text is intended to “collect and codify these rights” and to require that the rights be…