LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On Thursday, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin approved an educational amendment for the 2026 ballot that requires identical academic and accreditation standards for any school that receives state or local funds.
For AR Kids is the group behind the Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment of 2026, which aims to amend the education clause in the Arkansas Constitution.
The Educational Rights Amendment seeks to hold any school that receives public funding to the same standards as public schools and establish specific quality standards.
Additionally, it would guarantee what For AR Kids' called "voluntary universal access" for special education, after-school and summer programs, services for kids within a percentage of the federal poverty line, and Pre-K for three and four-year-old children.
One broad goal of the Arkansas Educational Rights Amendment of 2026 is to expand the number of Pre-K programs in the state.
For AR Kids fell 20,736 signatures short of getting the educational measure on this year's election ballot.
Click here to read the entire ballot title.