School District Waiver Request Process

1. District must submit (1) a completed application; (2) a signed copy of the resolution adopted by the school district’s board of directors authorizing the district to request the waiver; and (3) evidence of stakeholder involvement, including teachers and student families.  Waiver requests and documentation should be emailed to andres.rhodes@ade.arkansas.gov.
   
2. The submitted waiver requests are reviewed by a DESE and feedback is provided to the district.
   
3. If needed, the district updates the waiver request to address any questions or concerns from the internal review committee and then resubmits the waiver request to DESE.
   
4. The waiver request is placed on the State Board of Education's agenda for consideration.
   
5. Representatives from the district present the waiver request during the State Board of Education meeting. 
   
6. The district is provided a written response regarding the decision of the State Board of Education.

Please be mindful that this process can take up to 90 days from a district’s final submission. If the district must make changes to the original waiver request after receiving feedback from DESE, the 90-day timeline does not begin until the final submission.

For more information, please contact: