AR HB1945

Students in Arkansas may now transfer to another public school within their own resident school district, not just to nonresident districts, under both the Arkansas Opportunity Public School Choice Act and the Public School Choice Act of 2015

Parents, guardians, or students 18 or older may request a transfer if they believe it is in the student's best interest, expanding eligibility beyond the previous requirements of attending a failing school or district needing intensive support

School districts must establish and publicly post policies allowing enrolled students to transfer to other public schools within the district, and must determine capacity for each school and grade level

A school district may claim lack of capacity to deny a transfer only if the nonresident school has reached maximum student-to-teacher ratios or 95% or more of seats at the applicable grade level are filled

Transfer applications must be submitted between January 1 and May 1, with districts required to notify applicants of acceptance or rejection by July 1, and districts must annually report transfer data to the Department of Education