Update – Page 7 – Family Council

Two Measures Filed to Restrict Homeschoolers Under EFA Program

Apr 13, 2026Jerry CoxHome SchoolArkansas Legislature, Home School, LEARNS, Update

Last week, two bad resolutions authorizing introduction of non-budget measures were filed at the Arkansas Legislature.

The General Assembly convened on Wednesday for its 2026 budget session, and lawmakers are currently reviewing appropriations for the coming fiscal year. During the budget session, legislators can file non-appropriation measures, but those measures cannot be brought up for consideration without a two-thirds vote of the Arkansas House and Senate.

Two identical non-appropriation measures — H.R. 1008 and S.R. 16 — have been filed to 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’s worth pointing out that lawmakers have rejected homeschool testing legislation in the past.

The State of Arkansas used to require homeschoolers to take a state-mandated test. In 2009, Arkansas’ homeschoolers performed better on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills than 61% – 80% of the students who took that test, nationwide.

According to the 2013-2014 Home School Report from the Arkansas Department of Education, in 2014 homeschoolers in grades 3 – 9 scored anywhere from the 51st percentile to the 65th percentile on that same test.

In fact, homeschoolers in Arkansas performed so well on standardized tests that the Arkansas Legislature finally ended state-mandated homeschool testing in 2015.

H.R. 1008 and S.R. 16 cannot be brought up for consideration without a two-thirds vote of the Arkansas House and Arkansas Senate, and there does not seem to be much interest in these measures among lawmakers at this time.

Family Council and its homeschool division, the Education Alliance, plan to continue monitoring this legislation at the Capitol.

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

From Homeschool Rules to Abortion Drugs in Court, Here’s a Look Back at the Week’s Top Stories

Apr 10, 2026Jerry CoxCurrent EventsUpdate, Weekly Rewind

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Here’s a quick recap of the week’s top stories from Family Council and our friends:

From Family Council

📃 Family Council, Education Alliance Ask Arkansas Board of Education to Rethink EFA Restrictions on Team Sports: On Monday, Family Council and its homeschool division, the Education Alliance, submitted public comments expressing concerns over new rules governing Educational Freedom Account spending on athletics. Keep Reading.

⚖️ Family Council Joins Brief Defending States’ Authority to Protect Life: The State of Missouri has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the FDA’s mail-order abortion drug protocols. Last week, Family Council joined an amicus brief led by Advancing American Freedom in that lawsuit. Keep Reading.

💉 Latest Oregon Report Shows Sobering Statistics on Assisted Suicide: The state’s 2025 reports show that a record 637 lethal prescriptions for assisted suicide were written last year. Keep Reading.

❔ Is Transgender Ideology “In Retreat”? Pollsters at Gallup have found most Americans now say it is “morally wrong” to change genders. Most believe that drivers’ licenses should list biological sex instead of gender identity. And most do not think men should compete against women in women’s sports. Keep Reading.

🥼 American Medical Association Says It Still Supports Sex-Change Procedures for Children: In February, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons announced it now recommends delaying sex-rejecting surgeries for children until at least age 19, and at the time many media outlets reported that the American Medical Association also believed these procedures were inappropriate for kids. But in its March newsletter, the AMA board clarified that those media reports were wrong. Its policy on sex-change surgeries actually has not changed. Keep Reading.

📜 U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Colorado’s “Conversion Therapy” Ban: In an 8-1 opinion delivered last Tuesday, the Court held that Colorado’s law against so-called “conversion therapy” violates the First Amendment. Keep Reading.

💬 This Supreme Court Ruling Has Major Implications for Free Speech: In a video interview with Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins, ADF senior counsel Jake Warner said, “Colorado has been no respecter of the First Amendment. ADF has litigated multiple cases, including up to the U.S. Supreme Court against the state of Colorado in its effort to censor ideas that it disagrees with.” Keep Reading.

⚖️ These Two U.S. Supreme Court Cases Could Affect Arkansas Law: Between now and the end of June, the U.S. Supreme Court will issue decisions in two court cases that could affect whether states like Arkansas are free to preserve fairness in women’s athletic programs. Keep Reading.

From Our Friends

How HRC’s Corporate “Equality” Index Harms Children. From Breakpoint.

Medicalizing Gender Confusion Makes Things Worse, New Research Confirms. From DailyCitizen.

Judge Doesn’t Stop Mail-Order Abortions, Lets FDA Finish Safety Review. From LifeNews.

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

Commandments in Court, Sportsbooks Sued, and More from This Week

Apr 3, 2026Jerry CoxCurrent EventsUpdate, Weekly Rewind

Here’s a quick recap of the week’s top stories from Family Council and our friends:

From Family Council

Federal Judge Rules Against Ten Commandments Monument on Capitol Grounds: On Tuesday, Chief U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker ruled against Arkansas’ monument of the Ten Commandments. The decision orders the Secretary of State to remove the monument if the Arkansas Attorney General fails to appeal the ruling to a higher court. Keep Reading.

Arkansas State Police Lead Gulf Coast HIDTA in Highway Drug Seizures: Arkansas State Police (ASP) Troopers seized record amounts of illegal narcotics in 2025, leading all agencies in the Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) region. Keep Reading.

The Blunt Truth: Marijuana Isn’t Medicine: New research continues to show that marijuana isn’t medicine. Keep Reading.

NFL, Sportsbooks Face Lawsuit Over Micro-Betting Addiction: Two Pennsylvania men have sued NFL, DraftKings, FanDuel, and other sportsbooks over the harm from gambling addiction and in-game micro-bets. Keep Reading.

Federal Reserve Bank Report Shows Sports Betting Hurts Consumer Credit: A new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows consumer credit health is suffering in the wake of sports betting’s legalization. Keep Reading.

Abortion Drugs Are Not About Women’s Health: Our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom recently released a video highlighting how abortion drugs are not about women’s health. Keep Reading.

The Bible Does Not Support Abortion: In February, James Talarico, a U.S. Senate candidate from Texas, claimed that the biblical story of the Annunciation from the Gospel of Luke supports his proabortion position. On the Joe Rogan podcast, Talarico asserted that because the angel sought Mary’s consent, a woman has a right to choose her own procreative destiny. Keep Reading.

Courts Hold Social Media Giant Accountable for Harming Kids: Two juries in two days have found Facebook and Instagram owner, Meta, liable for harming children on its social media platforms. Keep Reading.

Fewer Pastors Considering Quitting Ministry, Research Shows: Pastoral burnout in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic caused many to consider quitting ministry, but recent research shows that may be changing. Keep Reading.