LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — There is a lot to still unpack with the Arkansas LEARNS Act, including a new graduation requirement— high school students must achieve 75 hours of community service in order to receive their diploma.
Current freshmen walking the halls of Arkansas schools are set to graduate in 2027. While they have a while before they think of things like prom or crossing the stage for graduation, one thing should be at the top of their minds now— volunteering.
“We know that when students are connected to initiatives in the community, they do better, they feel a sense of belonging, they feel a sense of relevancy and then it helps connect them to the world around them.," said Jacob Oliva, Secretary of Education. "When students are excited about the world around them, they get excited to learn and are going to do better in school.”
The initiative under the LEARNS Act isn’t new for schools but is now required with documentation for students to graduate.
Oliva added that through LEARNS they’re working to not only transform education in the state but also produce well-rounded students.
The Department of Education is looking to schools and the community to create these opportunities for students, which hasn't been a concern for Newport School District, where service comes at ease.
“We do so many things. Whether it's you know, we have the trashiest team pickups where kids are cleaning up the community, and the kids that go and volunteer in like the nursing homes or the hospitals or anything like that all those count towards community service hours," said Jon Bradley, Newport Superintendent. "It's more of a documentation process and just making sure that you can verify.”
Bradley explained that even in the middle of the pandemic, students completed roughly 300 hours of community service. Last year they increased that to over 1,800 hours through projects like 'Pack Shack.'
"We were able to have about 50 to 75 kids from our school and about 30 to 40 from Jackson County and we were able to pack I think a little over 31,000 meals. It's a big," Bradley said.
He added that there are plans to pack meals again this year on October 4 and their goal is 50,000 meals. Students will receive three hours of community service for it, and that's just a few hours of what will be available throughout the year.
“We're going to try to top 2,000 hours this year, if possible. So, that's not a thing for us, we always try to get as much involved in the community as we can. That's the role of the school anyway, we kind of want to be the center of the community. So it's a good opportunity for us to get our kids out. And we've got great, great students and, and they love being involved. And I know it's like that in other communities as well,” Bradley described.
According to the commissioner’s memo, 'Act 237 does not place a minimum community service hour requirement per grade level or a limit on the number of hours a student can earn towards 75 hours in a year. So, a student who earns 30 hours in 9th grade and 45 hours in their sophomore year will have completed the required 75 hours before graduation.'
Community service can be performed in and outside of Arkansas schools with approval from districts. If students transfer or graduate early from an Arkansas school, a minimum number of community service hours for each grade level will be set for students:
- 9th grade: 15 hours
- 10th grade: 20 hours
- 11th grade: 20 hours
- 12th grade: 20 hours
However, there are times when students are faced with unique challenges— and educators are willing to work with them.
“If a student is having a hard time meeting, or having some obstacles that they need help to overcome, we're going to work with districts, districts will work with students and families, so that this isn't going to be a barrier to graduation," Oliva said.
For Bradley, he said that setting students up for success is priority number one.
"With it being a requirement, it is just like any other credits that they have to get. We have to make sure that we offer ample opportunities for our students to get those hours so it doesn't come to a situation where they get to the end, and they realize they have a specific credit or something that they may have missed. But, that's our job as a school to make sure that we get our kids prepared to graduate," Bradley described. "We don't want to let them get behind and we'll make sure that we create enough opportunities that our students won't have to worry about getting 75 hours over a four-year period."