Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast - Week 32: Education Bills Signed and Passed and Heading Our Way

Episode Date: April 17, 2025

Happy Friday on a Thursday!As we head into a well-deserved long weekend, I want to thank each of you for another strong week at Mena Public Schools. We continue to see real progress toward our academic goals and performance targets, a reflection of your daily commitment and professional excellence. In this week’s update, I want to share exciting news about the launch of Rooms, our unified communication platform, and outline key legislative changes that will impact our schools in the months ahead. You will also find reminders about upcoming surveys and celebrations of student success in academics, athletics, STEM, and eSports. There is much to be proud of—and much to look forward to—as we close out another productive week together.One ROOM for All CommunicationOver the next several weeks, we will begin a soft launch of Rooms, a new communication platform integrated into our existing Thrillshare system from Apptegy. This tool will become the single, unified communication platform for students, parents, and staff starting this fall. While we are not asking anyone to stop using Remind, Seesaw, ClassDojo, or other classroom apps just yet, we do ask that you participate in training sessions when they are offered so that we can transition together.Rooms offers all the familiar features you are used to—messaging, file sharing, updates, announcements, and parent-teacher communication—within one secure, school-managed system. It also syncs with Google Classroom and supports other tools commonly used in your daily instruction. The goal is to reduce confusion and streamline communication, especially for families who have children in multiple schools and are currently juggling several apps.There are two primary reasons for this conversion:* District oversight and support for all communication, ensuring consistency and professionalism.* Direct feedback from families requesting one app for all school-related messages.We will continue rolling out Rooms through the spring and summer, offering time for everyone to become comfortable before full adoption in the fall. Thank you for your flexibility and professionalism as we make this positive change.To learn more about Rooms, visit: https://www.apptegy.com/rooms/Educational Acts Impacting Our Day-to-DayBelow is a summarized list of educational acts from the 2025 Arkansas legislative session, each with a brief statement of its impact on teachers and school staff. These bills must still go through the rule-making process along with model policy development. To read the full text of the bill, use this link and search by bill number:* HB 1007 (Act 248): Liability protections for shooting sports; minimal direct classroom impact, primarily affecting event organizers.* HB 1060 (Act 134): Requires instruction on the dangers of communism and autocracy; a significant curriculum addition for social studies teachers.* HB 1062 (Act 565): Teacher and Student Protection Act; impacts discipline policies and protections for staff and students.* HB 1074: Higher voting threshold for Property Tax Relief Fund; primarily administrative, minimal classroom impact.* HB 1117 (Act 229): Firearm safety instruction requirement; necessitates curriculum adjustments.* HB 1151 (Act 186), HB 1152 (Act 544): Appropriations for career and technical education, facilities, and transportation; budgetary implications for administrators.* HB 1154 (Act 222), HB 1155 (Act 223), HB 1156 (Act 224), HB 1157 (Act 225), HB 1158 (Act 226), HB 1160 (Act 227), HB 1161 (Act 228): Various adjustments in Teacher Retirement System; affects retirement planning for teachers and administrators.* HB 1166 (Act 245): Clarifies use of epinephrine in schools; requires training and policy adjustments.* HB 1189 (Act 135): Changes novice teacher mentoring; alters mentoring practices for veteran teachers.* HB 1199 (Act 118): Allows certain student transfers; administrative policy adjustments required.* HB 1215 (Act 119): Permits opposite-sex athletic staff to supervise students in restrooms; impacts athletic personnel specifically.* HB 1236 (Act 53): Facilitates contract release for teachers; administrative implications.* HB 1245 (Act 432): Establishes Behavior Analyst Registration; affects teachers involved with student behavior interventions.* HB 1254 (Act 433): Enables licensed psychological practitioners' independent practice; impacts school mental health services and collaboration.* HB 1317 (Act 112): Addresses fraud in retirement systems; administrative oversight required.* HB 1327 (Act 451): Alters eligibility for retirees’ health insurance; impacts administrators handling staff benefits.* HB 1344 (Act 598), HB 1347 (Act 363): Retirement system amendments; administrative implications.* HB 1398 (Act 352): Cardiac emergency response plans required; significant impact on training and safety protocols.* HB 1451 (Act 353): Updates concurrent enrollment eligibility; affects counseling and administration staff.* HB 1477 (Act 303): Charter schools eligible for Teacher of the Year nominations; minimal direct impact.* HB 1496 (Act 304): Mandates teacher qualifications; affects hiring and professional development.* HB 1512/SB 246 (Acts 340/341): Arkansas ACCESS Act; significantly affects curriculum and concurrent enrollment approaches.* HB 1545 (Act 501): Military child school transitions; administrative impact, primarily for counselors.* HB 1571 (Act 502): Modifies Adult Diploma Program; impacts adult education educators.* HB 1598 (Act 474): New school accountability system; administrative reporting and rating changes.* HB 1601 (Act 354): Higher education career counseling; indirect impacts for K-12 counseling departments.* HB 1633 (Act 475): Extracurricular transfer eligibility amendments; impacts coaches and activity sponsors.* HB 1640 (Act 476): Administrator ethics guideline changes; primarily administrative implications.* HB 1643 (Act 369): Disclosure of abuse allegations allowed; affects employment verification procedures.* HB 1689 (Act 355): Military recruiter access to schools; administrative policy impact.* HB 1705 (Act 478): Requires teaching of founders' religious and moral beliefs; impacts social studies instruction significantly.* HB 1724 (Act 503): Adjusts school board election dates; administrative implications.* HB 1733 (Act 504): Updates the Arkansas Better Chance Program; administrative and preschool staff adjustments.* HB 1821 (Act 560): School property insurance reform; administrative and financial management adjustments.* SB 3 (Act 116): Prohibits discrimination in public entities; administrative policies impacted.* SB 59 (Act 123): No-cost student breakfast; affects morning routines and food service administration.* SB 64 (Act 532), SB 66 (Act 61): Educational appropriations; administrative budgeting implications.* SB 89 (Act 120): School board electronic information updates; administrative communication changes.* SB 134 (Act 143): Employee Health Benefits Advisory amendments; administrative oversight required.* SB 135 (Act 399): School tax rate election adjustments; administrative fiscal planning impact.* SB 142 (Act 122): "Bell to Bell, No Cell Act"; significant classroom management policy changes required.* SB 148 (Act 587): Teacher Retirement System membership details; minimal direct impact.* SB 167 (Act 563): School transfer submission dates amended; administrative implications.* SB 172 (Act 165): Technical corrections in education code; minimal classroom impacts.* SB 200 (Act 329): Tax exemption for leased textbooks; financial implications for administration.* SB 206 (Act 195): Updates Right to Read Act literacy grants; impacts reading interventions and professional development.* SB 223 (Act 400): Religious rights at public schools; policy adjustments required administratively.* SB 226 (Act 247): Professional development required for cardiac arrest prevention; significant training implications.* SB 227 (Act 505): Freedom of Information Act amendments; administrative meeting and documentation practices impacted.* SB 228 (Act 197): Background check waiver for nonlicensed staff; administrative employment processes impacted.* SB 232 (Act 429): Scholarship Lottery Act adjustments; minimal administrative oversight needed.* SB 252 (Act 590): Public information on vapor products; health curriculum updates required.* SB 263 (Act 330): Homestead property tax credit increase; financial management impact for districts.* SB 270 (Act 360), SB 271 (Act 460): School board candidate filing amendments; administrative implications.* SB 332 (Act 536), SB 359 (Act 613): Funding for educational programs; administrative budget adjustments.* SB 391 (Act 472): Robotics Competition Grant established; impacts STEM extracurricular activities.* SB 413 (Act 401): Certification of school board oaths; administrative documentation adjustments.* SB 433 (Act 573): Requires display of the National Motto and Ten Commandments; environmental and curriculum adjustments.There are yet other bills on the Governor’s desk awaiting signature to become law. Here are some education bills among that number that will have further impact on our day-to-day:* HB 1017: Establishes a maternity leave program allowing educators up to 12 weeks leave with 100% cost reimbursement; addresses foster care scenarios and clarifies non-contract days and duration limits; significant implications for administrative staffing plans and budget management.* HB 1866 (Eli's Law): Mandates installation of recording equipment in locker rooms starting the 2027-2028 school year; involves substantial adjustments in facility management, student privacy policies, and administrative oversight responsibilities.* HB 1646: Requires schools to create designated storage areas for materials classified as inappropriate; affects administrative oversight, library management policies, and compliance protocols.* HB 1672: Modifies or phases out the Schools of Innovation program, implementing timelines and letter-grade accountability requirements; necessitates strategic administrative planning and potential curriculum adjustments in schools currently participating.Feedback on PolicyEducators are invited to share their insights in the national Phones in Focus survey about cell phone use in schools. Your feedback will help inform future policies and highlight how mobile devices affect teaching and learning. The survey takes about 10 minutes and is open to all staff. DMESC Satisfaction SurveyThis is a reminder to complete the DMESC User Satisfaction Survey if you have interacted with the co-op in any capacity this year. The survey is a valuable tool for DMESC to gather feedback and improve the services they provide to our district and others in the region. The deadline to submit your response is May 31st, and your input truly makes a difference.ClosingFor the first time in our eSports program, Mena High School has advanced to the final four of a statewide competition. Our team will compete in Madden NFL 25 at Fort Smith Northside on May 1st, with the top two moving on to the championship round and a chance to earn scholarships. This is an exciting milestone for our growing eSports program and a proud moment for our school.Students from Mena recently competed in the Destination Science STEM Challenge, hosted by the DeQueen-Mena Education Service Cooperative, and brought home an impressive number of awards across a wide range of events. From engineering challenges like balloon cars, catapults, and earthquake simulations to creative problem-solving in the Mystery Challenge and technology competitions in web design and video production, our students demonstrated innovation, collaboration, and technical skill. Both middle and high school teams excelled in robotics, earning top honors in LEGO, VEX, and Sphero divisions. This strong showing highlights the talent and dedication of our students and the strength of our STEM programs.Our spring sports teams have experienced a season filled with success, showcasing the hard work, determination, and team spirit that define Mena athletics. From the track to the diamond, the soccer field, and every event in between, our student-athletes have represented our school with pride and perseverance. Their accomplishments are a reflection not only of their talent and dedication but also of the strong support from coaches, families, and the community. We look forward to cheering them on as the season competitions continue.It was a good week of learning at Mena Public Schools.At Mena Public Schools, our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.Keep the #menareads posts and videos coming and have a lovely Easter weekend! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bearcatwrap.substack.com

Good afternoon and welcome to the week 32 wrap up education bill signed and passed and heading our way. With major legislative changes now in place, it's time to understand what they require and how we will respond. Happy Friday on a Thursday. As we head into a well deserved long weekend, I want to thank each of you for another strong week at Mena Public Schools. We continue to see real progress toward our academic goals and performance

targets, a reflection of your daily commitment and professional excellence. In this week's update, I want to share exciting news about the launch of rooms, our unified communication platform and outline key legislative changes that will impact our schools in the months ahead. You will also find reminders about upcoming surveys and celebrations of student success in academics, athletics, STEM, and e-sports. There is much to be proud of and much to look forward to as we close out another productive week together. One room for all communication. Over the next several weeks we will begin a soft launch of Rooms, a new communication platform

integrated into our existing thrill share system from AptiG. This tool will become the single unified communication platform for students, parents, and staff starting this fall. While we are not asking anyone to stop using Remind, Seesaw, ClassDojo, or other classroom apps just yet, we do ask that you participate in training sessions when they are offered so that we can transition together. Rooms offers all the familiar features you are using to message, file share, update, announce, and parent-teacher communication with one secure school managed system.

It also syncs with Google Classroom and supports other tools commonly used in your daily instruction. The goal is to reduce confusion and streamline communication, especially for families who have children in multiple schools and are currently juggling several apps. There are two primary reasons for this conversion. Number one is district oversight and support for all communication ensuring consistency and professionalism. And number two, direct feedback from families requesting one app for all school-related messages.

We will continue rolling out rooms through the spring and summer, offering time for everyone to become comfortable before full adoption in the fall. Thank you for your flexibility and professionalism as we make this positive change. To learn more about rooms, you can visit the link that's in the text. Educational Acts Impacting our Day to Day. Below is a summarized list of educational acts from the 2025 Arkansas Legislative Session, each with a brief statement of its impact on teachers and school staff. These bills must still go through the rulemaking process along with model policy development.

To read the full text of the bill, you can use the link that's in the text and search the bill by number. Now, for the sake of time and redundancy, I'm not going to read through all of the bills in the list But know that there are several that you may be interested in knowing more about if you haven't learned about them already I'll just list a few the first one is the access bill and It is

Or me since I'm not reading line by line, I have to search through. But, all the bills within this text are listed. I'm having problems finding them the way that I have to do the recording. So forgive me. But the access bill is in there. There's also the Bell to Bell No Sell Act, which we are already incorporating now through our policies, but it will be new state law. There will be rules written about it. and also the free breakfast for all students. There are also bills related to library books that are deemed inappropriate according to age and having to keep them behind locked doors and other bills that are on the governor's desk, but have not been signed into law yet that are of interest are House Bill 1017, which

establishes a maternity leave program allowing educators up to 12 weeks with a hundred percent cost reimbursement. There's House Bill 1866 or Eli's Law that mandates installation of recording equipment in locker rooms starting in the 2027-2028 school year. Then the House Bill 1646 requires schools to designate storage areas for materials classified as inappropriate, which I mentioned earlier, so it's not an act yet. It's still a bill waiting for the governor to sign. And House Bill 1672, it modifies or phases out the Schools of Innovation program, which is the way that a lot of schools receive waivers from the state board.

Now that we'll all be going through the charter authorizing panel. So that's all of the bills in a nutshell. Well, it's not all. I encourage you to read through the whole list. There are 71 bills related to education that will have an impact on us in the upcoming years. So I encourage you to go through that list and read those. Next subject is feedback on policy. Educators are invited to share their insights in the national focus, phones in focus survey about cell phone use in schools. Your feedback will help inform future policies and highlight how mobile devices affect teaching and learning. The survey is about 10 minutes and is open to all staff.

The survey is about 10 minutes and is open to all staff. The DQMENA Co-op Satisfaction Survey. This is a reminder to complete the DMSC User Satisfaction Survey if you have interacted with the Co-op in any capacity this year. The survey is a valuable tool for DMSC to gather feedback and improve the services they provide to our district and others in the region. The deadline to submit your response is May 31st and your input truly makes a difference. In closing, for the first time in our eSports program, Mena High School has advanced to the final four of a statewide competition. Our team will compete in the Madden NFL 25 at Fort Smith Northside on May 1st with the top two moving on to the championship round and a chance to

earn scholarships. This is an exciting milestone for a growing eSports program and a proud moment for our school. Students from MENA recently competed in the Destination Science STEM Challenge hosted by the Queen MENA Education Service Co-op and brought home an impressive number of awards across a wide range of events from engineering challenges like balloon cars, catapults, and earthquake simulations to creative problem solving inving in the mystery challenge, and technology competitions in web design and video production, our students demonstrated innovation, collaboration, and technical skill.

Both middle and high school teens excelled in robotics, earning top honors in Lego, VEX and Sphero divisions. This strong showing highlights the talent and dedication of our students and the strength of our STEM programs. Our spring sports teams have experienced a season filled with success, showcasing the hard work, determination and team spirit that define MENA athletics. From the track to the diamond, to the soccer field and every event in between, our student athletes have represented our school with pride and perseverance.

Their accomplishments are a reflection not only of their talent and dedication, but also the strong support from coaches, families, and the community. We look forward to cheering them on as the season competitions continue. It was a good week of learning at Mena Public Schools. At Mena Public Schools, our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident. Keep the Mena Reads post and videos coming and have a lovely Easter weekend.