KUAR | By Antoinette Grajeda / Arkansas Advocate
A group of public school supporters took the first step Monday to pursue a referendum petition to repeal the LEARNS Act, a wide-ranging education law signed by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in March.
Citizens for Arkansas Public Education and Students (CAPES) filed a statement of organization with the Arkansas Ethics Commission on Monday and submitted their ballot title to the Attorney General’s office. If it’s approved, the group will start gathering signatures to get their referendum on the ballot.
CAPES Executive Director Steve Grappe said that, as the Arkansas Democratic Rural Caucus chairman, he’s spoken to people in rural communities where he’s seen “such a groundswell of people that are against it.”
John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate
A group of Little Rock Central High School students and others met on the steps of the state Capitol on March 8, 2023 to express their opposition to the LEARNS Act, which was signed into law earlier that day by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.