Thursday night’s Little Rock School Board meeting dealt with some consequential issues including a long discussion of the new school election zones, a discussion about hiring a new marketing firm for our district, and a new board policy on cell phones that is required by law.
The first matter was the new school board election zone map. The Little Rock School District is working to redraw its school board zones in response to changes required by
Act 503 of 2025
. This state law mandates that any school district with an average daily membership of fewer than 20,000 students must elect an entirely new school board at the next scheduled school board election.
Because Little Rock’s student enrollment has fallen below this threshold, the district must comply with the new requirements. Under Act 503, the size of the school board must be reduced. Previously, the Little Rock School District had a nine-member board, but the law now requires districts in this enrollment range to have either five or seven board members.
Earlier this year, the LRSD board voted to transition to a seven-member board. Additionally, the law adjusts the length of school board terms to either four or six years, replacing the former system of three to five year terms.
To meet these requirements, the district hired Citygate GIS LLC, a Maryland-based software company, to develop a new seven-zone school board map. The cost of developing the new board zones is estimated at $12,000, which will be paid from the board’s fiscal year 2026 budget. The district has already released two drafts of the proposed map for public review and input. After sharing the first draft, the district collected community feedback and made changes based on those suggestions. The second draft map was then released for additional public input. Following this latest round of feedback, the district plans to revise the map again before presenting it for a final vote at the next board meeting.
Board members requested a few tweaks, and Director Osyrus Bolly requested that the maps be translated into Spanish.
Bolly also requested an equity study to ensure fair representation. We currently have four zones that are majority Black, two zones that are majority white, and one zone that is mixed. This matches our city population density and is equitable. Both Bolly and Director Vicki Hatter emphasized they wanted equity to remain a focus through the redistricting process.
Zone 4 Director Tony Rose was concerned that we can’t keep making changes based on comments or it will create a mess. He emphasized that demography is a science. He is probably right. It would be best to trust the experts to make the best choice for what is legal.
Some board members discussed suing over Act 504, but it’s unclear on what grounds they could do so. This map must be certified by August 14 if we are to honor the law and to have an election.
The second issue discussed by the board was the hiring of a new marketing team to help spread the word about the Little Rock School District.
A Request for Proposals process has been completed, and the district’s selection committee has recommended
mhp.si
as the winning vendor for the project. During the meeting, Mhp.si
reviewed all its work around our city and then reviewed its proposed approach to the board
, outlining plans to assess the current marketing and communications department and offer recommendations for improvements. The company also explained how it plans to assist the district with the evaluation process and, if approved, possible follow-up work after the assessment is complete.
The RFP awarded to mhp.si covers a range of services, including strategic planning, public relations, brand management, digital and social media strategy, and graphic design. The initial cost for the evaluation is $19,505. If the district moves forward with post-evaluation work, additional services will be funded up to a total not to exceed $250,000.
Finally, the district is having to update its student cell phone policy for the 2025-2026 school year to comply with a new state law and to improve the learning environment in its schools.
The Arkansas State Legislature passed Senate Bill 142, also known as the Bell to Bell, No Cell Act, which prohibits students from using personal electronic devices such as cell phones and smartwatches during the entire school day, from the first bell to the last. The law allows for limited exceptions in cases of medical need or as outlined in a student’s Individualized Education Program or 504 plan.
In response to this legislation and feedback from the school community, the district engaged in a year-long process to update its electronic device policy. Between September and October 2024, administration and the school board held town hall meetings where cell phone use was a major topic. More than 500 people attended these sessions, and over 2,000 people responded to a district survey. The survey and town halls showed that while only 40 percent supported a total ban on cell phones, 84 percent agreed that phones disrupt learning and 65 percent believed phone use has negative effects on students.
Throughout the 2024-2025 school year, the district researched other school systems with restrictive phone policies and reviewed input from school leaders, staff, students and community members.
The district also secured a state grant from the Arkansas Department of Education to participate in the Phone Free School initiative, allowing LRSD to purchase Yondr pouches for all secondary students. These pouches will be used to securely store phones and other devices during the school day.
Under the updated policy, all personal electronic devices, including mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, earbuds and gaming devices, must be secured in a Yondr pouch from the start of the school day until dismissal. Students will be responsible for placing their devices in the pouches each morning, and the devices will remain secured until released by school staff at the end of the day. Personal laptops may be allowed in some cases with administrative approval if school-issued devices are not available.
Students who violate the policy will face progressive disciplinary actions, beginning with a verbal warning and escalating to in-school suspension after repeated violations. Students are also responsible for the care of their Yondr pouches and must replace them if lost or damaged.
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