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.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-06-07/efforts-to-block-learns-continue-at-the-arkansas-supreme-court

Courts.Arkansas.Gov/Courts.Arkansas.Gov
Briefs were filed Tuesday in a case challenging the constitutionality of the Arkansas LEARNS education law.

An Arkansas judge put a major education bill on hold while a procedural lawsuit goes forward.

Arkansas LEARNS is a 145-page law passed this year by the Arkansas legislature and signed into law by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Among many things, the law raises teacher starting salaries, gives parents money to enroll their children in private schools, and allows charter school companies to take over struggling school districts. The struggling Marvell-Elaine School District in east Arkansas entered into a contract with Friendship Charter shortly after the lawsuit was passed.

Attorney Ali Noland is representing Marvell-Elaine citizens who do not want the contract to go forward. Her challenge argues the law was unconstitutionally passed. When LEARNS moved through the legislature it was passed with an additional emergency clause tacked on to the bill, meaning it goes into effect immediately. Under the plain language of the constitution, emergency clauses should be voted on separately from bills. The Arkansas Legislature customarily votes on emergency clauses and bills at the same time records the votes separately.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-05-30/advocates-detractors-react-to-arkansas-learns-being-put-on-hold

Efforts to block LEARNS continue at the Arkansas Supreme Court

Arkansas LEARNS education overhaul put on hold temporarily