Farmington superintendent talks Arkansas LEARNS Act volunteer hours

EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND JOINING US NOW IS A ON WITH THE FARMINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT. AS WE’REACK TO SCHOOL AND TRYING TO IMPLEMENT THE LEARNS ACT IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE. SUPERINTENDENT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE VOLUNTEER HOURS. WHAT IS IN THE LEARNS ACT ABOUT VOLUNTEER GREER HOURS AND REQUIREMENTS FOR STUDENTS. YEAH YEAH YOU KNOW THE THE INTERESTINOF THAT REQUIREMENT IS MANY SCHOOLS HAVE HAVE DONE THAT IN THE PAST ESPEC HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL. >> BUT THE LEARNS ACT THAT COMMUNITY SERVICE IS REQUIRED FOR THE FRESHMAN CLASS THIS YEAR TO GRADUATE. SO AS THOSE FRESHMEN MOVE UP THEIR FRESHMAN 10TH, 11TH AND 12TH GRADE YEAR, THEY’RE REQUIRED TO GET 15 HOURS THIS YEAR. AND 20 HOURS EACH YEAR THEREAFTER FOR FOR GRADUATION. BUT WHAT THINK WHAT THE CHALLENGE IS FOR SCHOOLS. WE’VE ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT THIS IN A COUPLE OF OUR LATEST SUPERI MEETINGS IS WE REALLY WE REA GUIDANCE FROM DC ON THIS, WHICH IS FINE. SCHOOLS CAN MAIR OWN PLANS IF IT’S REQUIRED. UM, WE’RE ALL FOR IT. WE KNOW COMMUNITY SERVICE WILL WE’LL TEACH OUR STUDENTS TO GIVE BACK. IN FACT, SERVICES ONE OF OUR VALUES IN FARMINGTON AND WE HAVE BEEN DOING COMMUNITY SERVICE, BUT WE’LL MAKE A PLAN AND MOVE FORWARD. BUT THE CLOCK IS TICKING, AND SO THAT’S OUR CONCERN. WE NEED TO SET UP A PLAN AND PARENTS AND COMMUNICATE WITH STUDENTS, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE FRESHMEN THIS YEAR, AND GET THEM MOVING FORWARD TOWARDS THAT 15 HOURS PERINTENDENT IS 15 HOURS A YEAR FOR STUDENTS IN THE,E FRESH >> IS THAT A LOT, RIGHT? OR HOW DO HOW DOES THE NUMBERS COMPARE WHEN IT COMES TO OTHER REQUIREMENTS FORSTUDENTS? >> YEAH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT’S REALLY A GREAT QUESTION. UM, I’M NOT SURE WE HAVE THE ANSWER YET UNTIL WE, WE GET IN INTO IT AND START, START WORKING ON IT. UM,OUSLY WE HAVEN’T DONE IT FOR FRESHMEN AND FARMINGTON WE HAVEN’T PROVIDED THOSE HOURS. SO AS WE MOVE FORWARD, I THINK WE’LL LEARN MORE ABOUT THAT. I DON’T THINK IT’S AN UNREASONABLE AMOUNT OF HOURS BY ANY MEANS, BUT THERE’S GOING TO HAVE TO BE, YOU KNOW, THERE’S GOING TO HAVE TO BE SOME EXCEPTIONS. AND PART OF THE LEARNS ACT SAYS THAT A PARENT CAN ASK FOR A WAIVER IF THE KID WORKS FULL TIME OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL HOURS OR IF THERE’S OTHER PROVISIONS IN PLACE. AND SO I THINK THAT’LL BE THE TO MONITOR AND ADJUST AS WE MOVE THROUGH. BUT THE MAIN THING IS FOR US IS TO GET A PLAN IN PLACE, COMMUNICATE WITH OUR PARENTS AND STUDENTS AND THEN GET MOVING FORWARD. AND TO DO THAT, WE WE JUST NEED THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO SAY, HEY, GO AHEAD AND MAKE YOUR PLANS LOCALLY AND AND LET’S MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS. AND I THINK THAT’S WHAT MOST SUPERINTENDENTS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND PARENTS ARE WAITING ON NOW. >> SUPERINTENDENT, I THE LAWRENCE ACT IS VERY NEW CHANGES AND REGULATIONS AND I GUESS GUIDANCE IS COMING OUT EVERY SINGLE DAY. IT SEEMS LIK WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THESE VOLUNTEER HOURS ANDN VOLUNTEER HOURS THAT WE’RE WAITING ON? >> YEAH, I MEAN, WHAT WE DO KNOW, THERE’S THERE’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’S A LOT THAT WE’RE WAITING ON. DON’T KNOW HOW WE’RE RESPONSIBLE TOWHICH AG MAKE A PLAN AND MOVE FORWARD AND THINKDISTRICTS ARE PLANNING TO D >> WHAT WE REALLY NEED IS JUST GUIDANCE FROM, FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO SAY, OKAY, THIS IS IN PART OF OF THE LEARNS ACT. IT’S GOING TO BE A LOCAL DECISION. LOCAL BOARDS, LOCAL ADMINISTRATION, LOCAL STUDENTS, LOCAL COMMUNITY AND PARENTS MOVE FORWARD AND, YOU KNOW, ALSO SERVE AS THE PRESIDENT OF ARKANSAS RURAL EDUCATION AND THERE IS A CONCERN FROM SOME OF OUR MORE RURAL DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE THAT THEY DON’T HAVE ACCESS TO COMMUNITY, OUR COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS AS EASILY AS AS MAYBE URBAN OR SUBURBAN AREAS DO. SO I THINK THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NEEDS TO FIND SOME RESOURCES FOR SOME OF OUR WELL. >> NOW, SUPERINTENDENT, HOW DOES THE HOW DO WORK RIGHT NOW IN YOUR SCHOOLSCHOOL INVOLVE PROVIDING THESE VOLUNTEER HOURS AT THE SCHOOL OR ON SITE, OR D K AROUND? OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? I JUST KIND OF GO OVER WHAT IS IMPLEMENTED RIGHT NOW. >> YEAH, SO THERE’S NO REQUIREMENT. IT’S IT’S A CHOICE AT THIS POINT FOR OUR STUDENTS AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL, AT THE HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL. AND YES, SOMETIMES IT DOES INVOLVE GETTING GETTING STUDENTS TO OUTSIDE ENTITIES, UM, THROUGH THEIR OWN TRANSPORTATION. SOMETIMES THE SCHOOL OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH, THROUGH, UM, WE OFFER AN ELECTIVE CREDIT THAT’S APPROVED BY THE STATE AND HAS BEEN IN PLACE. SO LIKE I SAID, YOU KNOW, WE ARE AT FARMINGTON AND THEN OTHER DISTRICTS HAVE DONE THIS IN THE PAST. WE’RE, WE’VE HAD THE POWER TO GO IN AND OFFER THAT LOCAL CREDIT FOR THE COURSE. AND IT TO ME, THAT’S HOW IT NEEDS TO STAY. I THINK THE STATE BOARD AND THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NEED TO TO LEAVE IT LOCAL AND LET SCHOOLS FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY CAN PROVIDE, WHERE THEY CAN PROVIDE IT, HOW THEY CAN CONNECT WITH WITH BUSINESSES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN THEIR COMMUNITY THROUGH NONPROFITS AND AND FAITH BASED ORGANIZATION TO PROVIDE THESE HOURS IF THEY’LL JUST GIVE US THE ABILITY PLAN AND THEN MAKE SURE THAT WE’RE PROVIDING STUDENTS, YOU KNOW, SCHOOLS, SCHOOLS SERVE STUDENTS. THAT’S WHAT WE DO. AND WE’LL MAKE SURE AND GET THIS DONE AS WELL. >> ALL RIGHT, SUPERINTENDENT FARMINGTON SCHOOLS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY ON 40/29 NEWS ON THE RECORD TO KIND OF TELL