Public Schools

A copy of the Ten Commandments must be on display in every state-owned building, as well as every public school and college classroom in Arkansas.

Michael Tilley with Talk Business & Politics joins Kyle Kellams to discuss headlines from this past week.

Under a bill making its way through the state legislature, all public schools in Arkansas would be required to display a copy of the Ten Commandments. Senate Bill 433 would require a Ten Commandments display in all state and local government buildings, including public schools and universities.

An effort to require Arkansas schools to survey students on mental health and substance abuse failed in the state legislature yesterday. House Bill 1755, by Democratic state Rep. Tara Shephard, would have required all schools to participate in the annual Arkansas Prevention Needs Assessment Survey.

Almost 100 years ago, the nation’s attention was focused on Dayton, Tennessee, as Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan traded legal arguments in the Scope Monkey Trial. The trial is detailed in Ed Larson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion."

Members of the Legislative Black Caucus discussed parts of the sweeping higher education bill known as Arkansas ACCESS yesterday.

Thousands of people have been educated in the halls of Leverett Elementary School in Fayetteville. This year marks the 125th anniversary of the school, and on March 12, there will be a public reception at the school to honor its role.

Loneliness can affect any of us in multiple ways. On today's show, we hear from former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, documentarian Nicholas Ma and musician Yo Yo Ma about loneliness and unity. We also celebrate Fayetteville's oldest operating elementary school. Plus, the varied world of orchids.

A bill to create the ‘Religious Rights at Public Schools Act of 2025’ passed through an Arkansas Senate committee Monday morning. The bill would allow students and employees of any religion to pray, assemble, study and promote their faith at public schools and allow districts to offer classes that provide “academic study of the Bible.”

Efforts to ban phones in Arkansas schools and to provide free breakfast for all public school students are officially law. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed the two bills into law yesterday.