ARKANSAS, USA — A bill that gives Arkansas school boards more latitude to hold closed meetings went unnoticed by government transparency groups and became law at the end of the spring’s legislative session.
Senate Bill 543, now Act 883 of 2023, allows school boards to meet behind closed doors in executive session on matters that were previously subject to Arkansas’ Freedom of Information Act, one of the strongest state transparency laws in the country, but one that has come under increasing legislative attack.
Act 883 “did an end-run on the FOIA so that school boards can engage in more secrecy,” one critic said, and publisher Ellen Kreth of the Madison County Record said it was "snuck in" at the end of the legislative session and will be "devastating" to transparency for parents.
To read more on this law, our content partner Arkansas Business has the full article here.
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