HB1559

House Bill 1559 prohibits public schools, open-enrollment public charter schools, and state-supported institutions of higher education in Arkansas from requiring employees to complete implicit bias training. It forbids these institutions from taking adverse employment action against staff who refuse to participate in such training. The bill also prevents the State Board of Education from making implicit bias training a requirement for obtaining or renewing educator licenses. Furthermore, it grants school and institutional employees the right to leave any training session if they determine the content addresses implicit biases. An exception is provided for higher education institutions where at least 95% of the training is mandated by an accreditor, grantor, or licensor.