(a) The General Assembly finds that some students are unlikely to become reengaged in their education through the traditional high school pathway to a high school diploma because they have:

(1) Failed multiple classes and are far behind their peers in accumulating credits to graduate; and

(2) Come to believe that obtaining a high school diploma is not an achievable goal.

(b) The General Assembly further finds that:

(1) For many years, school districts, two-year institutions of higher education, and community-based organizations such as the Arkansas National Guard Youth Challenge Program have created partnerships to provide appropriate educational programs for students at risk of becoming disengaged;

(2) In recent years, many of these partnerships have ceased to operate due to laws and rules that permit school districts to contract using basic education allocations that do not provide sufficient guidance to students and direct hundreds of disengaged students to a learning environment that includes preparation for the General Education Development (GED) Test; and

(3) Programs have been forced to adapt to laws and rules that were not designed to address the needs of the students being served, leaving students without a viable alternative for continuing their public education and graduating from a high school.

(c)

(1) It is the intent of the General Assembly to provide a statutory framework that will support a statewide reengagement through a Reengagement System and Differentiated Pathway to a High School Diploma Program for students.

(2) The framework for the program addresses funding, programs, and administration by directing the State Board of Education to develop model contracts and interlocal agreements that can be tailored by a school district to fit the needs of the school district.

(3) The General Assembly further intends to encourage school districts, state-supported institutions of higher education, career education, and community-based organizations such as the Arkansas National Guard Youth Challenge to participate in the program and to provide appropriate instruction and services to reengage students and help them progress toward a high school diploma and workforce readiness skills.