§ 6-13-112 — Responsibilities of State Board of Education and Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education regarding school districts under state authority

(a) Within ten (10) days of the meeting of the State Board of Education at which the state board assumes authority of a school district or within ten (10) days of the date upon which the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education assumes authority of a school district, the commissioner shall provide the following information to the Chair of the House Committee on Education and the Chair of the Senate Committee on Education: (1) A clear statement of the reasons the district has been placed under the authority of the state board or the commissioner; and (2) A clear statement of the steps necessary for the school district to remove itself from the authority of the state board or the commissioner. (b) (1) Each quarter following the assumption of authority by the state board or commissioner, the commissioner shall provide to the Chair of the House Committee on Education and the Chair of the Senate Committee on Education a status report indicating the progress of the school district toward removing itself from the authority of the state board or the commissioner. (2) The commissioner also shall provide a copy of the status report required under subdivision (b)(1) of this section to each member of the General Assembly who represents the area in which the school district is located. (c) A person appointed by the state board or the commissioner to operate a school district under the authority of the state board or the commissioner shall not have previously been an administrator responsible for a school district that was placed in fiscal distress, academic distress, facilities distress, Level 5 - Intensive support, or in violation of the Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts. (d) (1) After a school district has been under the authority of the state board or the commissioner for two (2) consecutive school years, the commissioner shall: (A) Conduct a review of each person appointed by the state board or commissioner to operate the school district; (B) Determine whether the person has made satisfactory progress toward removing the school district from the authority of the state board or the commissioner; and (C) Determine whether the person should continue to operate the school district or be replaced. (2) The commissioner shall report the results of this review to the state board and each member of the General Assembly who represents the area in which the school district is located. (3) The report shall include a justification of the determination made under subdivision (d)(1) of this section.

Legislative History

Amended by Act 2021, No. 544,§ 6, eff. 7/28/2021. Amended by Act 2017, No. 936,§ 4, eff. 8/1/2017. Amended by Act 2017, No. 936,§ 3, eff. 8/1/2017. Added by Act 2013, No. 1412,§ 1, eff. 8/16/2013.