logo
Central Arkansas schools prepare for laws going into effect next year

Central Arkansas schools prepare for laws going into effect next year

Yahoo01-05-2025
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Summer break is right around the corner for students, but it won't be a break for the state's school districts, which received plenty of homework from the state legislature.
Of all the law changes coming in the 2025-2026 school year, Pulaski County Special School District Assistant Superintendent Dr. Janice Warren said 'Bell to Bell, No Cell' is the most challenging. The law requires students' phones to be stored during school hours.
Arkansas educators experience Marine workshop in San Diego
Warren said all changes made by new laws are among her biggest responsibilities this time of year.
'Whenever the session closes, you are trying to figure out, okay, what law impacts what,' Warren said. 'What laws have to do with registration? Which ones are the academic pieces?'
She also categorizes changes by when they are coming which is usually one of three ways.
They could take many years, like the full implementation of school choice vouchers. Some laws require adjustments over one summer, like 'Bell to Bell, No Cell' and free breakfast for all. Others are implemented immediately, such as a law passed this Spring requiring donated copies of the Ten Commandments to be hung in every classroom.
New laws going into effect in Arkansas from the 95th General Assembly
Some laws require curriculum changes and guidance from the Department of Education. Among them is a law requiring annual firearm safety instruction for students starting with the 2025-2026 school year.
'The big thing about that is figuring out what grade level, what subject area are you going to add this new law if it's gun safety or whatever,' Dr. Warren explained.
Communication with staff and parents is a big part of preparation. PCSSD will be doing a trial phase of 'Bell to Bell, No Cell' within middle schools starting May 5, which has generated much feedback.
'It's just a task keeping up with all of them and making sure that we're implementing them correctly,' Warren said.
Another law going into effect next school year requires all schools to offer accelerated learning courses.
Bill to place audio recording devices in Arkansas school locker rooms headed to governor's desk
A few laws are set to be implemented in the 2026-2027 school year. Act 478 requires the Founding Fathers' religious beliefs be taught. Act 134 requires education on communism and autocratic governments. Act 908 requires public schools to place audio recording devices in school locker rooms.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump administration to release billions in frozen education funds
Trump administration to release billions in frozen education funds

Axios

timean hour ago

  • Axios

Trump administration to release billions in frozen education funds

The Trump administration will release more than $5 billion in frozen funds for schools, the Department of Education announced Friday. The big picture: The administration has been facing bipartisan pressure to release the funds, with GOP senators issuing a public plea. Driving the news: The White House Office of Management and Budget completed a review of Title I-C, Title II-A, Title III-A, and Title IV-A ESEA funds and Title II WIOA funds and directed the Education Department to release them, department spokesperson Madi Biedermann said in an emailed statement. The agency will begin dispersing funds to states next week, she added. What they're saying: Sen. Shelley Moore Capito ( who was among the Republican lawmakers who signed onto a letter urging the administration to release the funding, said Friday that the funding supports critical programs people rely on. "The programs are ones that enjoy longstanding, bipartisan support like after-school and summer programs that provide learning and enrichment opportunities for school aged children, which also enables their parents to work and contribute to local economies, and programs to support adult learners working to gain employment skills, earn workforce certifications, or transition into postsecondary education, Capito said.

With student loan forgiveness under IBR plan paused, what it means for millions of borrowers

timean hour ago

With student loan forgiveness under IBR plan paused, what it means for millions of borrowers

The Department of Education has paused the Income Based Repayment plan (IBR) in another significant move that alters the student loan repayment process for millions of Americans. The IBR plan cancels loan debt in full for borrowers who've made 300 monthly payments -- or about 25 years of payments. After that 25-year period, the plan cancels any outstanding balances and considers the borrowers' repayment obligation to be satisfied. Student loan advocates tell ABC News that borrowers are still being billed when their student loan should already be cancelled under the plan. "As of today, if you have been in debt for 25 years, you have a right under federal law to get your debt canceled, and the government is not honoring that law," Student Borrower Protection Center (SBPC) Executive Director Mike Pierce said. This plan was statutorily mandated under the Higher Education Act and encouraged by the Trump administration's Education Department while the agency launches its new Repayment Assistance Plan. The recent pause was not announced but is listed on a Frequently Asked Questions page of the Federal Student Aid site. It is now causing worry and confusion for borrowers who have been left in the dark, according to student loan experts. Pierce said the government suspended the forgiveness plan for reasons that the administration hasn't explained. "We don't know how many people are affected by it, we don't know how many people will be affected by it in the future, we don't know why it's happening," Pierce told ABC News. "We're worried that this is just the Trump administration deciding that its judgment is more important than the judgment of Congress, and it's going to do whatever the hell it wants," Pierce added. ABC News has reached out to the Department of Education for comment on the communication of the IBR plan pause. Under the recent pause, IBR accounts are being audited for the number of qualifying payments it has received. Abby Shafroth, managing director of advocacy at the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC), called the pause both surprising and concerning for borrowers as many have met the qualifying number of payments, but say that they're still getting billed. "It has sort of quietly come out that [IBR is] still not giving people cancellation," Shafroth told ABC News. Shafroth described the situation as a "mess." She noted the IBR plan is the one program that the current Education Department has encouraged borrowers to enroll in, has said will provide debt forgiveness and that Congress clearly established and mandated. "The Department of Education really has to own this and fix it," Shafroth said. "If they don't fix it, it's both going to break down trust and it's going to cost a lot of people more money. I don't know how many people, but it's going to cost people more money," she said. According to Shafroth, borrowers will keep getting billed on debts that they no longer owe and, as a result, they could end up having to pay large tax bills in their 2026 tax year. IBR is one of four Income Driven Repayment plans that takes a percentage of your income for monthly payments, including the Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Income Contingent Repayment and the Savings on a Valuable Education or "SAVE" plans. Borrowers on the Biden-era SAVE plan -- about 7.7 million people -- will have interest charges return on Aug. 1 at the same time the Education Department said it's complying with a federal court injunction that blocked implementation of the plan. The interest restart comes as President Donald Trump recently signed into law his signature domestic policy agenda, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included a provision to terminate all current student loan repayment plans -- such as SAVE and other IDRs -- for loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2026. The plans will be replaced with two separate repayment plans: a standard repayment plan and the Repayment Assistance Plan, a new income-based repayment plan. However, these repayment plans are currently affected by legal challenges, according to a release from the department. The Education Department's recent student loan adjustments signal the Trump administration's shift away from former President Joe Biden's debt forgiveness plans. The department will create a Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Committee to address its upcoming changes. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said she wants to simplify the overly complex system. Contrary to borrower fears, McMahon told ABC News her agency's reforms aren't meant to be "punitive" nor does she want to see borrowers defaulting on loans. "When you are in default on a loan, you can't buy a house, you can't buy a car, so call [the department]," McMahon said, adding, "Just make sure that you are on the right repayment plan." "Be proactive and get back into one of the payment plans," she said. Meanwhile, Shafroth said this pause in the IBR plan potentially makes borrowers more distrustful and, in turn, further divides the borrower and the government. "It really alienates borrowers, and they stop trusting the government and stop, in some cases, repaying, or, you know, being responsive on their loans," she said. SBPC's Pierce warned this is a legal matter that borrowers are entitled to having resolved.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store