October 8, 2020 at 10:00 AM - State Board of Education

Description:  The applicant data from this information is used to compile the Applicant Flow Chart forms for the Affirmative Action Report, which demonstrates the composition of applicants through the selecting, hiring, promoting and terminating process.  The information is needed to measure the effectiveness of the agency's recruitment, hiring and promotion efforts and is in conformity with federal government guidelines, which require the agency to compile statistical information about applicants for employment. 

Description:  The members of the Arkansas State Board of Education are requested to review the following:
Commercial Bond Applications -  1 Second Lien and 3 Voted
With the recommendation to approve all applications from the Loan Committee and additional information provided by the school district in its application package and:
Pursuant to Arkansas Code Annotated § 6-20-1205 concerning school district bonds, a school district shall not sell bonds until the issue is approved by the State Board of Education.  Therefore, the State Board of Education, in its discretion and after considering the merits of each application with the loan committee recommendation, may approve a school district bond application for the full amount of the proposed bond issue, approve the application for a lesser amount than requested, or disapprove the application.

Description:  Arkansas Code Annotated §6-17-309 requires local school districts to secure a waiver when classrooms are staffed with unlicensed teachers for longer than 30 days. Requests were received from 98 school districts for a total of 309 waivers. There were also requests for long-term substitutes from 29 school districts requesting a total of 45 waivers for long-term substitutes. These requests have been reviewed, were either approved or denied by Department staff, and are consistent with program guidelines. 
 

Description:  Violation of Standard 1.  An educator maintains a professional relationship with each student, both in and outside the classroom.  Violation of Standard 2. An educator maintains competence regarding his or her professional practice, inclusive of professional and ethical behavior, skills, knowledge, dispositions, and responsibilities relating to his or her organizational position. The Professional Licensure Standards Board Ethics Evidentiary Hearing Subcommittee recommends that the State Board order a 6 Month Suspension; assess a $300 fine to be paid within ninety (90) days of the State Board Final Order; required to complete through the ArkansasIDEAS online portal ERC19048: Professional Licensure Standards Board (PLSB): The Code of Ethics Training Video (2018) Credit Hours: 1; Title: The 85% Solution; How Personal Accountability Guarantees Success - No Nonsense, No Excuses (256p) Author: Linda Galindo ISBN 13: 978047; Title: Taking Charge of Anger, Second Edition: Six Steps to Asserting Yourself without Losing Control (289P) W. Robert Nay, PhD. ISBN 10: 1462502423 ISBN 13: 978-1462502424;
Title: I Notice: A Step-by-Step Guide to Transform Student Potential Through Building Intentional Relationships Author: Claire E. Hallinan ISBN-10: 1733035613 ISBN-13: 978-1733035613; SPB14008 Behavior is Communication, Credit Hours: 1.5; Quarterly letters from her doctor monitoring her medical condition. Require Educator to prepare written reflections for each training: that explains how training will impact educator’s future interactions with students (due within 30 days of the end of suspension); To be completed within ninety (90) days of the State Board Final Order. (All costs paid by Educator Huff.).
 

Description:  Violation of Standard 1.  An educator maintains a professional relationship with each student, both in and outside the classroom.  Violation of Standard 2. An educator maintains competence regarding his or her professional practice, inclusive of professional and ethical behavior, skills, knowledge, dispositions, and responsibilities relating to his or her organizational position. The Professional Licensure Standards Board Ethics Subcommittee recommends that the State Board order a One -Year Probation; assess a $200.00 fine to be paid within ninety (90) days of the State Board Final Order; required to complete through the ArkansasIDEAS online portal ERC20059: Professional Licensure Standards Board Code of Ethics for Arkansas Educators: Ethical Scenarios in Education (2020) Credit Hours: 1; ERC19048: Professional Licensure Standards Board (PLSB): The Code of Ethics Training Video (2018) Credit Hours: 1; Reflection on 19048 - reflection on how the trainings will impact his teaching and interactions with students; SPB14008 Behavior is Communication Credit Hours: 1.5; Title: You’ve Gotta Connect: Building Relationships that Lead to Engaged Students, Productive Classrooms, and Higher Achievement (280 Pages) Author: James Alan Sturtevant ISBN-10: 1629500046 ISBN-13:978-1629500046; To be completed within ninety (90) days of the State Board Final Order. (All costs paid by Educator Brown.) Educator accepted recommendation of Ethics Subcommittee on August 25, 2020

Description:  The Arkansas Department of Education received information that educator was found guilty of Conspire to Defraud Government Respect to Claim.  The offense is a disqualifying offense pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-410. The educator is requesting a waiver.
 

Description:  In September the Charter Authorizing Panel approved an amendment request for Arkansas Virtual Academy to increase the enrollment cap from 4,000 to 5,500. By a unanimous vote, the Panel voted to approve the request.  The State Board may exercise a right of review and conduct a hearing at the next State Board meeting regarding the amendment request.  

Description:  The Bryant School District is requesting a 1-Year Standards for Accreditation waiver for library media specialist ratio for the 2020-2021 school year.

Description:  On June 29, 2020, the State Board granted certain waivers to public school districts and charter schools providing the necessary flexibility for implementation of the Arkansas Ready for Learning Model. One of the waivers granted was for Ark. Code Ann. 6-16-102(a)(5), which requires forty (40) minutes of recess daily. At the time, this requirement had not yet been added to rules so no waiver of rules was necessary. The DESE Rules Governing Nutrition and Physical Activity Standards and Body Mass Index for Age Assessment Protocols in Arkansas Public Schools have now been updated to include the recess requirement and became effective October 1^st. Therfore, it is necessary to provide a waiver of sections 7.11 and 7.12 of the rules, which correspond to the section of law already waived, to continue to offer public schools flexibility.