Data Shows 141 Arkansas Students Took Academic Study of the Bible Courses this Year

Religion, ,

Data from the Arkansas Department of Education shows 141 public school students enrolled in courses to study the Bible academically this school year.

Since 2013, the Arkansas General Assembly has enacted laws that let public schools offer elective, academic courses on the Bible.

According to the Arkansas Department of Education’s academic framework for the classes, the course is offered as a one-semester elective in which students learn about the Bible and its influence on literature, art, music, and culture.

If a public school offers the course, it must be objective and nonsectarian. It must meet the same academic standards as other elective courses offered in public schools. And instructors must be licensed to teach in the State of Arkansas.

Over the past 12 years, different school districts in the state have chosen to offer academic courses on the Bible under state law.

Now data from the Arkansas Department of Education shows at least 141 public school students enrolled in elective, academic courses on the Bible at 13 schools for the 2025-2026 school year.

It’s good that Arkansas lets students learn about the Bible at school. After all, no single book has been more influential on our civilization. Of course, Christians believe the Bible is meant to be learned and lived out in daily life. Still, studying the Bible academically is a great opportunity.

Below is a list of school districts offering courses on the Bible this year.

SCHOOL DISTRICTCOURSENUMBER OF STUDENTS
SEARCY COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTAcademic Study of the Bible (0.5 credit)27
VAN BUREN SCHOOL DISTRICTAcademic Study of the Bible (0.5 credit)24
SOUTH SIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT (Van Buren)Academic Study of the Bible (0.5 credit)17
NETTLETON SCHOOL DISTRICTAcademic Study of the Bible (0.5 credit)16
MAGNOLIA SCHOOL DISTRICTAcademic Study of the Bible (0.5 credit)13
MARMADUKE SCHOOL DISTRICTAcademic Study of the Bible (0.5 credit)11
FORDYCE SCHOOL DISTRICTAcademic Study of the Bible (0.5 credit)7
LONOKE SCHOOL DISTRICTAcademic Study of the Bible (0.5 credit)7
DEWITT SCHOOL DISTRICTAcademic Study of the Bible (0.5 credit)5
SOUTH CONWAY COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTAcademic Study of the Bible (0.5 credit)4
DES ARC SCHOOL DISTRICTAcademic Study of the Bible (0.5 credit)4
ACADEMICS PLUS PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLSAcademic Study of the Bible (0.5 credit)4
PREMIER HIGH SCHOOLS OF ARKANSASAcademic Study of the Bible (0.5 credit)2
Total141

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Poll: Most Americans Say Suicide Is Wrong — But Many Support Physician-Assisted Suicide Anyway

Bioethics, Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, , , , ,

A new Gallup poll shows most Americans believe suicide in general is morally wrong, but opinions are split over physician-assisted suicide.

Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs survey measures Americans’ views on a wide variety of behaviors — like gambling, human cloning, divorce, and so on.

This year’s survey found 70% of Americans say suicide is morally wrong, which is a strong majority.

But here’s the contradiction: views on “doctor-assisted suicide” are nearly evenly split, with a staggering 49% of Americans saying physician-assisted suicide is morally acceptable.

It seems like many people may believe that suicide is wrong — except in certain cases or when a doctor assists with the suicide. That should concern every pro-life Arkansan.

Physician-assisted suicide is typically sold to the public as a “compassionate” option for people facing terminal illness. But experience has shown that assisted suicide doesn’t help people who are sick or dying, and it doesn’t remain limited to a few cases.

In Oregon — the first state to legalize physician-assisted suicide back in 1997 — a record 637 lethal prescriptions were written last year. Of those patients, only two were referred for psychiatric evaluation before receiving a prescription for suicide. That is a serious failure.

Data shows many of these patients are lonely and feel like they are losing control over their lives. They need counseling and support — not a deadly prescription.

Assisted suicide fundamentally changes the doctor-patient relationship from healing to killing. The Hippocratic Oath promises to “first, do no harm.” Prescribing lethal drugs violates that sacred trust.

The slippery slope is real. In Canada, Belgium, and Netherlands, assisted suicide has expanded far beyond rare, terminal illnesses. Canada is on pace to record its 100,000th assisted suicide death this summer. What starts as a “compassionate choice” eventually becomes routine killing.

In parts of the U.S. where physician-assisted suicide is legal, insurance companies have refused to pay for patients’ medical care, but have offered to cover assisted suicide drugs.

Being pro-life means believing innocent human life is sacred from conception until natural death. Just like abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide violate the sanctity of innocent human life.

That’s why Family Council has strongly opposed assisted suicide legislation in Arkansas. In 2019 and 2021, Arkansas lawmakers wisely rejected very bad end-of-life legislation. Family Council worked closely with our friends in the legislature to stop those proposals.

Gallup’s survey shows Americans understand that suicide is wrong. We should remember that holds true even when activists try to dress it up as “medicine.”

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Lawmakers Approve EFA Rules Despite Homeschoolers’ Concerns

Home School,
Above: The Administrative Rules Subcommittee approved the new EFA restrictions despite concerns homeschoolers voiced about unintended consequences from the rules.

On Monday, a legislative subcommittee approved a new slate of Educational Freedom Account (EFA) rules despite strong concerns voiced by homeschoolers in the EFA program. The new rules are slated to take effect July 1.

Arkansas created the EFA program in 2023, making it possible for students to use public funds to pay for an education at a public or private school or at home. Thousands of homeschool students have taken advantage of this great program and test scores show they are excelling.

But earlier this spring the Arkansas Department of Education approved new administrative rules restricting how homeschoolers spend EFA funds on extracurricular activities and establishing complicated preapproval and reimbursement requirements for homeschoolers.

We have written repeatedly about how the wording in these rules carries unintended consequences for homeschoolers in the EFA program and won’t help save the State money.

On Monday, the Arkansas Legislative Council’s Administrative Rules Subcommittee approved the new EFA rules despite written comments from some 200 or more homeschoolers expressing concerns about unintended consequences from the rules and despite several homeschoolers travelling to the Capitol to voice their concerns in-person at the committee meeting.

During the meeting, some lawmakers indicated they believe homeschoolers should be more regulated and that the EFA program does not have to be fair to homeschoolers.

The EFA program is voluntary, and whether a family participates in it or not is up to them. But if a family chooses to homeschool under the EFA program, the rules ought to be fair for everyone.

In the past the Arkansas Department of Education has utilized workgroups that relied on input from parents in the EFA program to ensure EFA rules worked properly and did not carry unintended consequences. In this case, policymakers approved the rules despite concerns from stakeholders in the program.

Family Council and the Education Alliance deeply appreciate the homeschoolers who were willing to comment and testify on the unintended consequences from these rules, and we plan to work with homeschoolers to make sure they are treated as fairly as possible under the EFA program.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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