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Class of 2027 & BEYOND Graduation Requirement

Students in the Class of 2027 and beyond are now required to complete community service to earn a high school diploma in Arkansas (Act 237 of 2023, pages 38-39).  The law includes that students will earn 15 hours of community service in 9th grade, and 20 hours of community service in each of the years for grades 10, 11, and 12 to equal 75 hours of service required for graduation. Students will get more information in presentations at school.

Resources

  • Community Service Learning FAQs

  • Student & Parent Information Slides with links to forms

Students Get Started

Service opportunities on our K-8 campuses will be advertised to you in your HS Student Announcements. Please do not call the K-8 campuses and teacher directly. Service opportunities in the community are listed on many organization websites and we are sharing our tips in our information sessions and our slides and video linked above. Above all, start keeping a log of your service. The template log spreadsheet is in our slide show links.

Definitions

  • Direct Service - students have direct contact with those they service (tutoring, serving meals, visiting, providing care, etc.).

  • Indirect Service - students perform a service without face-to-face contact with the recipient (working at a food or clothing drive, making a product like a blanket or doll for use elsewhere, and fundraising).

  • Advocacy - students educate others about a particular issue (writing letters to law makers, displaying posters to target audiences, etc.).

Any inquiry on waivers for Community Service Requirement needs to made with through the school. Waivers will only be approved for the situations stated by ADE.

Potential Community Service Agencies Partners

Community service agencies can register with us. See the information/resources linked above for details, and/or contact the school district for more information. We may use this registry list to contact you for opportunities and updates.

We will not be adding to the state’s list at this time. The state board of education no longer has to approve sites (Act 720 of 2023) and the COM-24-021 8/30/23 states that, “in cases where a community service project is not approved by the local board or organized by the district, the decision for approval lies with the school's volunteer coordinator or administration.” We will support parents in their option to lead, guide, and vet their student's service within appropriate safety protocols.