Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
Act 663 of the Regular Session
1 State of Arkansas As Engrossed: H3/8/21 H3/15/21 S3/31/21
2 93rd General Assembly A Bill
3 Regular Session, 2021 HOUSE BILL 1451
4
5 By: Representatives Godfrey, Cozart, Evans, Vaught, Womack
6 By: Senators C. Tucker, Hester, L. Eads, J. Sturch, Elliott, B. Davis, Irvin
7
8 For An Act To Be Entitled
9 AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE BASIC LANGUAGE
10 OF INSTRUCTION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS; TO ALLOW A PUBLIC
11 SCHOOL DISTRICT OR AN OPEN-ENROLLMENT PUBLIC CHARTER
12 SCHOOL TO ADOPT AN APPROVED BILINGUAL PROGRAM OR
13 DUAL-IMMERSION PROGRAM; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
14
15
16 Subtitle
17 TO ALLOW A PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT OR AN
18 OPEN-ENROLLMENT PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL TO
19 ADOPT AN APPROVED BILINGUAL PROGRAM OR
20 DUAL-IMMERSION PROGRAM.
21
22
23 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
24
25 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code 6-16-104(a), concerning the language of
26 instruction in public schools, is amended to read as follows:
27 (a)(1) The basic language of instruction in the public school branches
28 in all the public schools of the state, public and private, shall be the
29 English language only.
30 (2) It shall not be a violation of this section for an:
31 (A) An educator to communicate with a student in the
32 student's native language in order to facilitate the student's ability to
33 become proficient and learn in the English language; or
34 (B) A public school district or an open-enrollment public
35 charter school to adopt a bilingual program or a dual-immersion program
36 approved by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.
*TNL162* 03-31-2021 13:33:59 TNL162
 As Engrossed: H3/8/21 H3/15/21 S3/31/21 HB1451
1
2 SECTION 2. Arkansas Code 6-16-104, concerning the basic language of
3 instruction in public schools, is amended to add an additional subsection to
4 read as follows:
5 (c) As used in this section:
6 (1)(A) "Bilingual program" means a program that uses two (2)
7 languages, a student's primary language and the English language, as a means
8 of instruction.
9 (B) A bilingual program includes building upon a student's
10 primary language skills and develops and expands the English language skills
11 of each student to enable him or her to achieve proficiency in both
12 languages, while providing access to content areas; and
13 (2) "Dual-immersion program" means a program that develops dual
14 language proficiency in two (2) languages by offering a student instruction
15 in English and instruction in another language in a classroom that is usually
16 comprised of half native English speakers and half native speakers of the
17 other language.
18
19 /s/Godfrey
20
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22 APPROVED: 4/12/21
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2 03-31-2021 13:33:59 TNL162


Statutes affected:
Old version HB1451 Original - 2-8-2021 04:07 PM: 6-16-104(a), 6-16-104
Old version HB1451 V2 - 3-8-2021 11:16 AM: 6-16-104(a), 6-16-104
Old version HB1451 V3 - 3-15-2021 10:13 AM: 6-16-104(a), 6-16-104
Old version HB1451 V4 - 3-31-2021 01:34 PM: 6-16-104(a), 6-16-104
HB 1451: 6-16-104(a), 6-16-104
Act 663: 6-16-104(a), 6-16-104
Old version of HB 1451 - 03-08-21: 6-16-104(a), 6-16-104
Old version of HB 1451 - 02-08-21: 6-16-104(a), 6-16-104