Arkansas Back to School Guide 2023

Students in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley are going back to class now.40/29 News is your back-to-school headquarters, keeping you updated as students return to class.Below is a look at what you’ll need to know as school starts back up in Arkansas.School SafetyBullyingDr. Bailee Lutz with Northwest Health said one of the biggest concerns schools are seeing this year is cyberbullying. According to Lutz, cyberbullying is more common in the classroom because there is no supervision from the teacher or other students there.Lutz said the best way to avoid cyberbullying is to take away cyber channels for children.Bus SafetyStudents will start walking to the bus stop in neighborhoods across the area Monday.Arkansas state law requires drivers to stop at least 30 feet behind a stopped school bus.This law applies to drivers in all directions. It applies to roads, streets or highways open to the general public. The driver is not allowed to start up or attempt to pass again until the bus is back in motion.A driver who breaks the law can be found guilty of a misdemeanor. The proscribed punishments are a fine of $250 to $1,000 and/or up to 90 days in jail.Lutz tells 40/29 News to implement a buddy system so your child is never at the bus stop without an adult. This could mean rotating weekly with a parent or having an older sibling watch them.The Springdale School District is rolling out a new bus routing system and parent portal this school year.The district says the parent portal is meant to improve communication with families and improve student safety.ViolenceThe Washington County Emergency Management team came out to Lincoln High earlier in the month to train teachers on how to put on tourniquets and stop bleeding.“It saves lives,” said Paul Shepard, the certified school safety officer at Lincoln High School.Shepard hopes to combine all staff training, such as post-mass casualty incident training and lockdown training to prepare teachers for the worst.The Fort Smith School District was also among those who did active shooter training this summer.”Having experienced officers who have had talents throughout their career, especially with being on SWAT teams, narcotics, investigative experience and so forth, all comes together to make a really, really good school resource officer,” said Chief Bill Hollenbeck, with the Fort Smith schools police department.First Day of SchoolStudents from across Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley head back to school on different dates this month. Below is a look at some of the start dates for districts in the area.Note: Not all school districts are listed below.Monday, Aug. 14Farmington Public SchoolsFayetteville Public SchoolsFort Smith Public SchoolsGreenwood Public SchoolsMansfield Public SchoolsSpringdale Public SchoolsWaldron Public SchoolsTuesday, Aug. 15Prairie Grove Public SchoolsSiloam Springs Public SchoolsWednesday, Aug. 16Alma Public SchoolsBentonville Public SchoolsGravette Public SchoolsRogers Public SchoolsVan Buren Public SchoolsSchool SuppliesIt can be stressful trying to find everything your student needs before they get back to the classroom. Below are some links for stores with back-to-school deals and lists.Walmart | Shopping ListTarget | Shopping ListAmazon | Shopping ListKohl’s | Shopping List| MORE | The best discounts, freebies for teachers to save big for 2023 back-to-school seasonLEARNS ACTThe Arkansas LEARNS Act, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ signature education plan, has been the subject of litigation and a referendum effort. Despite these efforts, the law will be in effect when school starts.Among other things, the LEARNS Act raises the minimum teacher salary to $50,000, bans the teaching of “critical race theory,” bans teaching about gender identity until a certain age, and has a program to fund private and religious schools. The law does not define critical race theory. Critical race theory is a way of thinking about America’s history through the lens of racism.John Mulford, superintendent of the Fayetteville School District, said the LEARNS Act will have a significant impact on his district.”We’ll be looking at how we can compensate and be competitive in the region,” Mulford said. “Beyond that, we are intrigued and wondering about the rules as it pertains to third grade and how it may impact our program, our students, and our instruction.”Terry Morawski, superintendent of the Fort Smith School District, said his district is already focused on improving literacy rates.”We took on a continuous plan as a district and one of our goals we set was related to our students reading on a grade level, so we are taking that as a district with a five-year goal and really focusing on that and that was even pre-LEARNS so we are very excited that is a focus from the state,” Morawski said.Jeff Perry, superintendent of the Rogers School District, said the LEARNS Act will require schools to make some tough decisions.”We have to come to grips with a lot of things, and understand the statistic that 72 percent of students who are not reading at grade level at the end of third grade will never be on grade level,” Perry said. “That’s a sobering statistic, and it means we have to make some tough choices about how we are going to allocate our resources.”Other New Laws Arkansas has hundreds of new laws that went into effect on Aug. 1, 2023. Here are some on the subject of education.Act 48 – Holocaust EducationMakes the last full week of class in January Holocaust Education Week in all public schools.Act 165 – Act Concerning the Use of Physical ForceExtends the right of parents and guardians to use physical force against minors and incompetent people to school employees. The force is allowable if it is reasonable and appropriate and only to the extent it’s needed to maintain discipline or promote the person’s welfare.Act 290 – Mental Health AwarenessMakes the first full week of class in May Mental Health Awareness Week.Act 317 – Bathroom RegulationsBans transgender people at public schools from using the restroom that matches their gender identity. See our coverage of the act.Act 372 – Obscene Materials in Schools & LibrariesPlaces possible criminal penalties on public librarians who furnish materials to minors considered obscene or harmful. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the law during a pending lawsuit.Act 511 – Implicit Bias TrainingPublic schools, including colleges and universities, can’t require employees to learn how to recognize and take action against implicit bias.Act 542 – Given Name ActBans schools from requiring teachers to use a transgender student’s preferred pronoun without written permission from their parent. See our coverage of the act.Act 621 – Excused Absences to VoteIt counts as an excused absence if a student goes with their parent or legal guardian to vote.Act 637 – Adoption Awareness EducationRequires public schools to teach adoption awareness at the start of each school year for grades 6 to 12.Act 723 – Breastfeeding EducationRequires public schools’ health and safety courses to include information on the benefits of breastfeeding.School HealthAnxietyLutz says it’s normal for kids to experience anxiety when heading back to school, but oftentimes they don’t know how to handle it.Lutz advises parents to look out for some early signs of anxiety, such as a lack of sleep, loss of appetite, and sudden behavioral changes. She said if you do notice any of these signs, be sure to take the time to discuss ways to cope with your child.CheckupLutz also recommends that kids get a checkup before school starts. If classes have already begun for your student, you can still schedule a checkup with a family doctor. FitnessFayetteville Public Schools is debuting its new Sports, Wellness and Academics Center also known as the SWAC.“It will not only be housing, athletics, but it also houses our sports media program, sports medicine program, a community clinic, as well as some of our health classrooms and then other large meeting spaces,” said current Fayetteville Public Schools Superintendent John Mulford. MealsAn Arkansas Department of Agriculture program helps educate kids about food, while also providing them food grown at their own schools.The Farm to School program helps connect families and communities with fresh and healthy foods through its school gardens.Jessica Chapman, the Farm to School coordinator, said the food grown in the school gardens is used in the meals served to students in the cafeterias.”We help educators do these programs. We give them plenty of support. They implement this in their classrooms. They’ll do it in their cafeterias,” Chapman said.Lutz recommends at least one fruit and one vegetable in every lunch.”If your kid is involved with prepping lunches, it takes a little bit of stress off parents. That can be an activity that you guys can do together and work on nutrition that way, but yes, the more fresh a lunch is, the better,” Lutz said.Arkansas’ new Act 656 allows school districts to be reimbursed for the cost of reduced meals for students.”We don’t want them charged for any meal that they could get for free,” Fort Smith Public Schools CFO Charles Warren said. “Some people may be surprised that the income levels are high enough that they might actually qualify, if not for a free meal, but for a reduced-price meal.”The new law directs the state Department of Education to use state and federal funds to provide free meals for K-12 students who qualify for school meals at a reduced price.School Construction & RepairsConstruction isn’t done at Ballman Elementary in Fort Smith, so students will start the year at a different school building.Students will instead attend Fairview Elementary, according to a release from the school district. They’ll be in separate classrooms with their own teachers.Student musicians will be back at Ramsey Junior High next week and things will be different for them. Their orchestra room was damaged by a fire in June.The 250 orchestra students will now meet in the art room. Band and choir students will meet in separate rooms to rehearse. Your Back-To-School PhotosDo you have any great back-to-school photos you’d like to share? Post them in the ulocal Arkansas Facebook group and you might see them on air!Back to School Special 40/29 News on the Record: Back to School (6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 14): We bring you information for schools across the area as well as interviews with the governor, other lawmakers and educators so you know all you need to for the first week of school.

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