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Senate Education Committee advances renaming of corrections school, extends Right to Read timeline and moves several short measures
Summary
The committee passed shorthand items including changing the corrections school system name (SB264), consolidating corrections education (SB265), extending Right to Read timelines (SB62), requiring earthquake drills in susceptible areas (SB249), and allowing private schools to send officers to the law-enforcement academy (SB159); a lengthy higher-education amendment was held to be engrossed and returned later.
The Senate Education Committee advanced or approved several mostly noncontroversial bills during its session and deferred a lengthy higher-education amendment for further review.
Correctional school renaming: Senators approved SB264 to rename references to the 'corrections school system' as the 'Arkansas Correctional School District' and advanced SB265, which sponsors described as consolidating Department of Corrections educational programs into a single, integrated district. Both bills passed by voice vote with no roll-call tally recorded.
Right to Read extension: SB62, which extends by two years the timeline for educators to demonstrate knowledge and practices in scientific reading instruction (part of the state’s 'Right to Read' work and RISE Arkansas implementation), passed after DESE testified the extension was requested because COVID-19 disrupted professional development. Senator Chesterfield expressed that the bill’s amendments should include consultation with the original sponsor, Senator Elliott; DESE staff said they had not consulted Elliott on the specific date change.
Earthquake drills: SB249, requiring earthquake safety drills in areas susceptible to earthquakes (the New Madrid fault was discussed), passed by voice vote.
Private-school law-enforcement option: SB159 extends to private schools the option to form on-campus law-enforcement units, permits private-school officers to attend the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy and requires reimbursement of training and transportation costs; the committee approved the measure by voice vote.
Higher-education data amendment: A multi-page amendment to a higher-education accountability bill (discussion around SB397) included changes to data reporting, distinctions between admitted and enrolled students, and adjustments to where provisions are codified. Several senators asked that the amendment be engrossed — prepared in full substituted form — so members could read the substituted text; the chair agreed to have the amendment engrossed and return the bill at the top of a future agenda rather than vote today.
Across the short votes, most items passed by voice vote; the transcript does not record roll-call tallies or named vote counts.
