KUAR | By Josie Lenora
Briefs were filed Tuesday in a case challenging the constitutional legitimacy of Arkansas LEARNS. Plaintiff attorney Ali Noland is arguing the law was not passed through proper constitutional procedure.
Arkansas LEARNS is the name given to a package of omnibus education legislation passed by the legislature and signed into law by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders this year. The bill has many objectives; one is that it plans to use tax dollars to fund so-called educational freedom accounts, pools of money parents can use to enroll their children in private schools. LEARNS also allows struggling public school districts to be taken over by charter companies.
When the legislature passed the law earlier this year, lawmakers voted for both the bill and the emergency clause at the same time. Emergency clauses make legislation to go into effect immediately and not 90 days after the end of the session. Under the plain language of the Arkansas constitution, emergency clauses should be voted on separately from laws.
Courts.Arkansas.Gov/Courts.Arkansas.Gov
Briefs were filed Tuesday in a case challenging the constitutionality of the Arkansas LEARNS education law.