Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!

Board adopts policy updates on private-school student participation and student religious expression

December 17, 2025 | BENTONVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT, School Districts, Arkansas


This article was created by AI summarizing key points discussed. AI makes mistakes, so for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting. Please report any errors so we can fix them. Report an error »

Board adopts policy updates on private-school student participation and student religious expression
Tanya Sharp presented two student-policy updates and asked the board to approve revisions intended to align district policy with state law. Sharp described the first change as an update to policy 4.56.0.3 on extracurricular activity eligibility for private-school students to align with Act 644 of 2025. She said the law allows private school students to participate if the district permits and noted that historically the district has not allowed that because of program-capacity concerns.

Regarding homeschool students, staff said the law requires admitting homeschool students who meet a threshold on a national assessment. "They have to score with what percentile? 30 what is it? 30 percentile on a national assessment...Once they score that 30 percentile, then they follow the regular tryout routine as published on our website," staff said.

Sharp also presented recommended updates to policy 4.63 on student religious expression tied to earlier changes in how class rank is handled. After brief clarifying questions from board members, a motion to approve the policy changes passed by roll call.

Board members asked for clarity on tryout timing and how private-school participation would be managed; staff said private-school participants would follow published tryout routines once eligibility criteria are met. The policy changes were adopted by the board during the meeting.

Don't Miss a Word: See the Full Meeting!

Go beyond summaries. Unlock every video, transcript, and key insight with a Founder Membership.

Get instant access to full meeting videos
Search and clip any phrase from complete transcripts
Receive AI-powered summaries & custom alerts
Enjoy lifetime, unrestricted access to government data
Access Full Meeting

30-day money-back guarantee

Sponsors

Proudly supported by sponsors who keep Arkansas articles free in 2026

Scribe from Workplace AI
Scribe from Workplace AI