One Bad Homeschool Measure Fails at Capitol

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On Wednesday, one of the bad homeschool measures at the Arkansas Capitol failed in committee.

Lawmakers created the Educational Freedom Account (EFA) program in 2023 making it possible for Arkansas students to use public funds to pay for an education at a public or private school or at home. Thousands of students have taken advantage of school choice in Arkansas under this program.

But this year, lawmakers filed H.R. 1008 and S.R. 16 reducing EFA funding for homeschoolers and imposing new restrictions under the EFA program.

These proposed laws are homeschool control measures dressed up as accountability measures. They turn educational freedom into a state compliance program.

On Wednesday, H.R. 1008 failed in the House Rules Committee. After testimony from the measure’s sponsor and questions and answers from the lawmakers, the proposal failed to receive a “Do Pass” motion from the committee members.

This is good news, but S.R. 16 is still in play at the Capitol.

Lawmakers also will review new rules from the Department of Education governing EFA accounts at some point in the near future.

The rules would prohibit Educational Freedom Account spending on team sports that require tryouts or that limit participation based on ability. That means that a homeschool student who wants to play basketball for a local school could not pay for athletic expenses with EFA money even though public schools pay for team sports with state money.

Arkansas law clearly caps extracurricular spending at 25% of a student’s total EFA funding, which means no more than one-fourth of a student’s EFA money can go toward team sports and extracurricular activities. The new rules go farther by prohibiting all spending on team sports that require tryouts.

Family Council and the Education Alliance are still urging homeschoolers to contact their lawmakers and ask them to oppose S.R. 16 and the new EFA rules from the Arkansas Department of Education.

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

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Unpacking EFA Rules, Homeschool Measures at the Capitol

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We are urging homeschoolers across the state to call the Arkansas House of Representatives and Arkansas Senate, and ask their lawmakers to oppose H.R. 1008, S.R. 16, and a new set of Educational Freedom Account rules from the Arkansas Department of Education.

Call your senator: You can call 501-682-2902 between 8:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. to leave a message asking your state senator to oppose these measures.

Call your representative: You can call 501-682-6211 between 8:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. to leave a message asking your state representative to oppose these measures.

Here is more information about how these measures would affect homeschoolers.

H.R. 1008 and S.R. 16 Restrict Homeschoolers Under EFA Program

H.R. 1008 and S.R. 16 would restrict homeschoolers participating in the Educational Freedom Account (EFA) program.

Lawmakers created the EFA program in 2023, making it possible for Arkansas students to use public funds to pay for an education at a public or private school or at home. Thousands of students have taken advantage of school choice in Arkansas under this program, and many homeschool families have benefited from it.

H.R. 1008 and S.R. 16 would significantly reduce EFA funding for homeschoolers and implement mandatory assessment scores for students participating in the EFA program.

It would also expand the list of mandatory reporters to include education service providers who work with homeschoolers.

These proposed laws are homeschool control measures dressed up as accountability measures. They turn educational freedom into a state compliance program. The State is using EFA dollars as a way to standardize and regulate homeschooling rather than provide parents the freedom to tailor the education that is best for their children.

You can read our entire policy brief about these laws here.

The 2026 Educational Freedom Account Rules Stop Homeschoolers from Using EFA Money for Certain Team Sports

New rules from the Department of Education would prohibit Educational Freedom Account spending on team sports that require tryouts or that limit participation based on ability. That means that a homeschool student who wants to play basketball for a local school could not pay for athletic expenses with EFA money even though public schools pay for team sports with state money.

Arkansas law clearly caps extracurricular spending at 25% of a student’s total EFA funding, which means no more than one-fourth of a student’s EFA money can go toward team sports and extracurricular activities. The new rules go farther by prohibiting all spending on team sports that require tryouts.

The rules also limit EFA balances. Right now, EFA funds can roll over each year up to a maximum balance of $20,000. But the new rules set this limit at $8,500 or a lesser amount set by the Arkansas Legislature in a future session.

The proposed rules also set up a new framework differentiating between “core educational expenses” versus “qualifying expenses.”

Lawmakers could vote very soon on whether to approve the Department of Education’s new EFA rules.

You can read our entire policy brief about the new rules here.

Please contact your lawmakers, and ask them to oppose the bad homeschool laws H.R. 1008 and S.R. 16 and the Department of Education’s bad EFA rules.

You can call 501-682-2902 to leave a message asking your state senator to oppose these measures.

You can call 501-682-6211 to leave a message asking your state representative to oppose these measures.

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

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State Board of Education Unanimously Approves Rules Despite Homeschool Concerns

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On Thursday, the State Board of Education unanimously approved new rules governing Educational Freedom Account spending on athletics despite concerns voiced by homeschoolers.

Lawmakers created the EFA program in 2023, making it possible for Arkansas students to use public funds to pay for an education at a public or private school or at home. Thousands of students have taken advantage of school choice in Arkansas under this program since then.

The newest proposed rules from the Department of Education would prohibit EFA spending on team sports that require tryouts or that limit participation based on ability. That means that a homeschool student who wants to play basketball for a local school could not pay for athletic expenses with EFA money even though public schools pay for team sports with state money.

Arkansas law clearly caps spending in these areas at 25% of a student’s total EFA funding, which means no more than one-fourth of a student’s EFA money can go toward team sports and extracurricular activities. The new rules go farther by prohibiting all spending on team sports that require tryouts.

The rules also limit EFA balances. Previously, EFA funds could roll over each year up to a maximum balance of $20,000. However, the proposed rules now set this limit at $8,500 or a lesser amount set by the Arkansas legislature in a future session.

The proposed rules also set up a new framework differentiating between “core educational expenses” versus “qualifying expenses.”

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports that the Department of Education received more than 200 comments from members of the public regarding the new EFA rules and quotes parents who are concerned the rules discriminate against homeschoolers.

Family Council and our homeschool division, the Education Alliance, submitted comments last week expressing our concerns that the proposed rules are more restrictive than the state laws the Arkansas Legislature has passed.

Now that the State Board has ratified the rules, they will go to members of the Arkansas Legislature for final review.

You can read Family Council’s comments on the proposed rules here.

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

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