A federal judge is set to decide whether the Little Rock School District (LRSD) can intervene in an ongoing lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Arkansas's LEARNS Act. The hearing is scheduled for April 1, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.
The LEARNS Act, a sweeping education law signed by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders in 2023, includes provisions for school vouchers, teacher pay raises, and literacy standards. The lawsuit, filed by a group of public school supporters, argues the act violates the Arkansas Constitution by creating a separate, unequal system of education.
The Little Rock School District seeks to join the suit as a plaintiff, contending the voucher program will divert critical public funds away from its schools, harming its students. The state has opposed the district's motion to intervene.
The court's decision on the intervention could significantly impact the scope and trajectory of the legal challenge against one of the state's most contentious education policies in decades.
