Thursday is the deadline to file the Notice of Intent to Home School in Arkansas.
By law, home schoolers in Arkansas must file the annual Notice of Intent form with their local public school district on or before August 15. The form simply informs the district superintendent that the family intends to home school in the coming school year. The law also requires home schoolers to provide basic information, such as the grades of their children, when they complete the Notice of Intent.
In the past, attorneys at the Arkansas Department of Human Services have told us firsthand that having a Notice of Intent to Home School on file with the school district is a home schooler’s best defense against accusations of educational neglect or truancy.
If a social worker with an ax to grind against home schooling shows up on your doorstep, a properly filed Notice of Intent form may be all that stands between you and a bad day in court. It may seem like just a piece of paper, but it’s a priceless piece of protection if someone accuses you of neglecting your children.
The 2024-2025 school year’s Notice of Intent form is available for download here. Home schoolers can simply print it, fill it out, and mail it or deliver it to the local public school superintendent’s office.
Home schoolers who encounter any difficulty completing the Notice of Intent online or on paper can contact the Arkansas Department of Education’s Home School Office at 501-683-3162.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
By Anne Reed, Senior Policy Advisor for Operation Rescue
Above: The facility in Pittsburg that Planned Parenthood may have acquired. (Google Street View, Captured May 2023. Used in accordance with Fair Use).
Pittsburg, Kansas — Documents recently uncovered by the Family Council in Little Rock, Arkansas, revealed that Planned Parenthood Great Plains secretly purchased a building in Pittsburg, Kansas, through a string of property investment limited liability companies, one of which is based in Little Rock. The 990 tax form for Planned Parenthood Great Plains reveals the following connections:
On April 10, Southeast Kansas Property Investment LLC secured a building permit for the location at 2310 Tucker Terrace in Pittsburg. The description indicated the permit was for a “health center remodel, exam and lab remodel, gutted and turned into the front entrance.”
“It is no surprise that Planned Parenthood is swooping in to guarantee its greedy portion of blood money in Operation Rescue’s home state,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.
In June, Operation Rescue produced a three-part special report detailing the state’s downward spiral in recent years and months – wildly shifting from a generally pro-life state to a late-term abortion wasteland. Less than two months ago, the Kansas Supreme Court adamantly reaffirmed its total devotion to unfettered abortion.
“As the battle to save the lives of preborn children intensifies,” said Newman, “Operation Rescue continues to point to Kansas as a desperate warning to other states. Planned Parenthood is clearly capitalizing on the shift in politics, using Kansas as a destination to target innocent preborn children in states where they are protected by law.”
Though Pittsburg is a small town, with a population of just over 20,000, there are numerous reasons that Planned Parenthood would target the area. It is the home of Pittsburg University, a public university with enrollment of over 6,500, and is located only 5 miles from the Missouri state line and under 30 miles from the Oklahoma state line. Both border states are abortion free.
Planned Parenthood’s most recent annual report indicated it performed 392,715 abortions in the U.S. in the 2021-2022 fiscal year. The ravenous abortion giant killed over 18,000 more babies than in the previous year. As the landscape across the nation shifts, Planned Parenthood strategists seize every perceivable opportunity to kill more babies.
In 2022, 41% of Kansas abortions were performed on women from Missouri and Oklahoma, the two states lines so incredibly close to Pittsburg. These percentages represent 5,089 babies killed in Kansas from the two neighboring states.
“Apparently, that’s not enough carnage for the baby killers at Planned Parenthood,” said Newman. “Sadly, so many people of Kansas welcomed this evil into our state when 59% voted against the pro-life Value Them Both constitutional ballot initiative in 2022.”
Pittsburg is in Crawford County, where a lower number (55%) voted against the life-saving initiative. These numbers reveal a significant number of pro-life citizens in the town of Pittsburg. So, while Planned Parenthood executives sought out the location because of its proximity to abortion-free states, they apparently anticipated resistance from pro-life residents. The details were carefully hidden as a result.
“This isn’t the first time the powerful abortion giant has used this type of covert technique to keep people of a community in the dark,” said Newman. “Planned Parenthood officials know pro-lifers can thwart its plans by exercising their First Amendment rights and by exploring possible legal actions. Now, the people of Pittsburg are free to do so.”
This article was originally published by Operation Rescue, a leading pro-life, Christian activist organization dedicated to exposing abortion abuses, demanding enforcement, saving innocent lives, and building an abortion-free America. The author, Anne Reed, is Senior Policy Advisor for Operation Rescue.
The following is an email announcement from the Arkansas Department of Education regarding home school access to Education Freedom Accounts.
As a homeschooling family in Arkansas, we want to express our gratitude for your involvement in the Education Freedom Account (EFA) program. We are thrilled about the opportunities this program offers families to choose educational options that best meet their needs. The funds available through the EFA program empower you to deliver a high-quality, customized education for your family.
As we enter into the start of the school year, we recognize that you may have questions about the program, so we’re hosting two webinars to address the most frequently asked questions and provide you with the information you need.
The webinar is limited to 1,000 participants, so please register as soon as possible to secure your spot. If demand exceeds capacity, we will schedule an additional live webinar.
This webinar will cover topics such as:
How can I confirm my approval status?
When will I receive my EFA funds?
What is the funding amount available for homeschooling families?
What are the eligible expenses?
How will I know if what I want to buy is eligible?
Can I be reimbursed for expenses I’ve already incurred?
Answers to your specific questions
Home School Family Webinar #2 Thursday, August 22, 7pm Link will be provided next Monday, August 19
This webinar will address the following topics:
What is the process for purchasing eligible items with the funds in my account?
How can I be reimbursed for eligible expenses I’ve already incurred?
What is a digital debit card, and how does it work?
Are tutoring or therapy services allowed, and can I choose any provider?
How do I pay for services from a micro school, co-op, or support group?
Answers to your specific questions
If you are unable to attend a webinar or would like to revisit the information shared during the webinar, a recording will be available at www.dese.link/efa
