By ANTOINETTE GRAJEDA | Arkansas Advocate

Arkansas’ new Children’s Educational Freedom Account program aims to expand education options for K-12 students, but questions remain about accessibility, especially for families in rural areas. 

A provision of the LEARNS Act, the program will be phased in over three years and allow up to 90% of annual per-student public school funding for permissible education expenses, such as private-school tuition. 

An Arkansas Department of Education spokesperson said the program is on track to begin in the coming school year and a work group that will help develop rules and policies for the initiative should be identified and meeting soon.

Proponents of the Educational Freedom Account program say it will give parents more options to choose whether their children attend public school, private schools or home school.

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