Arkansas
Arkansas families suing to block Ten Commandments in public classrooms, libraries
Texas lawmaker challenges Ten Commandments bill on the ‘Sabbath’
A Texas state bill that would require public schools to post donated placards of the Ten Commandments created an “ironic” moment in debate.
Seven Arkansas families have filed a federal lawsuit to block a new law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in all public school classrooms in the state, arguing that the law will infringe on their constitutional rights.
In the complaint, filed June 11 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, the families challenged an upcoming state law that requires the Ten Commandments to be “prominently” displayed in every public classroom and library. The law, which takes effect in August, was signed by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in April.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a multifaith group of families by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU), and the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF). The defendants include four school districts — Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville, and Siloam Springs — in northwest Arkansas.
Attorneys for the families, who are Jewish, Unitarian Universalist, or non-religious, said the law “violates longstanding U.S. Supreme Court precedent and the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.”
The attorneys are asking a federal judge to declare the state requirement unconstitutional. In addition to the complaint, the attorneys are planning to file a motion for a preliminary and permanent injunction to block the implementation of the law while the suit is pending.
“By imposing a Christian-centric translation of the Ten Commandments on our children for nearly every hour of every day of their public-school education, this law will infringe on our rights as parents and create an unwelcoming and religiously coercive school environment for our children,” Samantha Stinson, one of the plaintiffs, said in a statement.
The lawsuit was publicly released by the AU on June 11 and viewed by USA TODAY. The Arkansas Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment on June 11.
Lawsuit: Ten Commandments law interferes with religious freedom
According to the complaint, the display of the Ten Commandments in public classrooms and libraries will interfere with parents’ right to direct their children’s religious education and upbringing. The lawsuit further argues that the state requirement will create a “religiously coercive” school environment for children.
Under the state law, each classroom and library will be required to post the Ten Commandments “in a conspicuous place,” the lawsuit states. The display of the text must be at least 16 inches wide and 20 inches tall and be printed in a “typeface that is legible to a person with average vision from anywhere in the room,” according to the complaint.
The law also mandates that schools and libraries display a specific version of the Ten Commandments, which the suit states is associated with Protestant faiths and conflicts with the version followed by many Jews and Catholics.
“Permanently posting the Ten Commandments in every classroom and library—rendering them unavoidable—unconstitutionally pressures students into religious observance, veneration, and adoption of the state’s favored religious scripture,” the complaint states.
“It also sends the harmful and religiously divisive message that students who do not subscribe to the Ten Commandments … do not belong in their own school community and pressures them to refrain from expressing any faith practices or beliefs that are not aligned with the state’s religious preferences,” the complaint added.
Republican-led states push for religion in public classrooms
Authorities in Republican-led states across the country have been pushing to spread religious teachings into public school classrooms, including incorporating the Bible into lessons and requiring schools to post state-selected versions of the Ten Commandments.
School administrators and civil rights advocates have expressed opposition to the mandates, saying they violate students’ constitutional rights.
“Our Constitution’s guarantee of church-state separation means that families – not politicians – get to decide if, when and how public-school children engage with religion,” Rachel Laser, president and CEO of the AU, said in a statement on June 11.
“This law is part of the nationwide Christian Nationalist scheme to win favor for one set of religious views over all others and nonreligion — in a country that promises religious freedom. Not on our watch. We’re proud to defend the religious freedom of Arkansas schoolchildren and their families,” Laser continued.
The Arkansas law is similar to a Louisiana requirement that was signed in June 2024 by Gov. Jeff Landry. The Louisiana law was later blocked by a federal judge who declared it unconstitutional. The case, which is currently on appeal, is also being represented by the same counsel as the Arkansas lawsuit, attorneys said.
In November 2024, Texas officials proposed a curriculum that includes teachings from the Bible. The state legislature also recently passed a bill requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms. Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign the measure, which would take effect in September.
In July 2024, Oklahoma’s top education official ordered public schools to teach the Bible, which large state school districts have largely ignored. Despite the state’s Republican-controlled legislature’s rejection of his $3 million request to fund the effort, state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters has insisted classrooms would all have Bibles by fall 2025.
Contributing: Murray Evans, The Oklahoman, part of the USA TODAY Network
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As cases of a deadly tick-borne cattle disease continue to spread across Arkansas, researchers with the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture have received nearly $500,000 in federal funding to test potential treatments to protect cattle herds.
The Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station received a two-year, $492,218 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to study ways to combat bovine theileriosis, a disease caused by the parasite Theileria orientalis Ikeda and carried primarily by the invasive Asian longhorned tick.
Emily McDermott, an assistant professor in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology and project director for the grant, said the rapid increase in cases has created significant challenges for cattle producers across the state.
“Arkansas cattle ranchers are reporting significant losses of the herd, resulting in economic hardship,” McDermott said.
No approved drugs or vaccines currently exist in the United States to treat or prevent the disease, making the research especially important as infections continue to expand across Arkansas.
Researchers will evaluate two commercially available approaches that could be adopted quickly by producers if proven effective. One is a prescription anti-tick vaccine developed by Medgene for long-term protection. The other will test the slow-release parasiticide eprinomectin in combination with currently labeled tick-control products and compare its effectiveness to two pyrethroid treatments.
Theileriosis produces symptoms similar to anaplasmosis, another tick-borne disease familiar to many cattle producers. Infected cattle may experience weight loss, reduced milk production, loss of appetite, anemia and reproductive losses.
“One of the tricky things about Theileria is that it looks so much like anaplasmosis that I think a lot of producers might not be aware they have a new disease,” McDermott said. “We’ve heard the same story a lot over the last year: ‘I had a bunch of cows die, and I thought it was anaplasmosis, but it was weird.’”
Kelly Loftin, extension entomologist with the Division of Agriculture and a collaborator on the project, said one key difference is that bovine theileriosis can cause illness in cattle of any age, while anaplasmosis typically affects older animals.
Two genotypes of the parasite, Ikeda and Chitose, have been confirmed in Arkansas, including Logan, Franklin, and Johnson Counties. Ikeda considered it more harmful because it attacks blood cells and can be fatal.
Researchers say infections caused by the Ikeda genotype typically kill 1 to 5 percent of infected cattle but have reached mortality rates as high as 50 percent in some outbreaks.
“It’s hard to think of a tick-borne cattle pathogen that’s had this much of an impact in the United States since Texas cattle fever,” McDermott said, noting that Arkansas partnered with the USDA for decades during the first half of the 20th century to eradicate that disease.
The grant also includes funding for outreach through the Division of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service to educate county extension agents, ranchers and veterinarians about the disease and its transmission.
The Asian longhorned tick was first confirmed in the United States in 2017 and in Arkansas in 2018. The first Arkansas cases of bovine theileriosis caused by Theileria orientalis Ikeda were confirmed in 2024.
Since then, the parasite has been confirmed in 15 Arkansas counties, while established Asian longhorned tick populations have been identified in 10 counties. Researchers expect those numbers to continue growing and say confirmed disease cases in counties without established tick populations suggest infected cattle are carrying the parasite as they are moved from place to place.
Researchers are also investigating whether insects such as horse flies may be capable of mechanically transmitting the blood-borne pathogen between animals.
Loftin said the Division of Agriculture will continue providing information through webinars, field days, and its “Asian Longhorned Ticks & Theileriosis in Arkansas” website as the study moves forward.
Arkansas
Southern Arkansas University launches new Bachelor of Science in Emergency Management for Fall 2026 | News | Southern Arkansas University
Southern Arkansas University has announced the launch of a new Bachelor of Science in Emergency Management, with enrollment beginning in Fall 2026. The program, housed in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences in the Dempsey College of Liberal and Performing Arts, is designed to meet growing demand for trained emergency management professionals across government, public safety, healthcare, and the private sector.
The 120-credit-hour degree combines classroom instruction with practical application across the core disciplines of modern emergency management, including incident command and the National Incident Command System (ICS), homeland security and counterterrorism policy, critical infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, and emergency management technology. Graduates will be prepared to lead response, recovery, mitigation, and preparedness operations at the local, state, or federal level.
Dr. Jennifer Rowsam, dean of the Dempsey College of Liberal and Performing Arts, said, “We are excited to offer a program that will meet the needs of Arkansas. With the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy (ALETA) in East Camden and SAU-Tech housing the Arkansas Fire Training Academy, it is a natural fit for SAU to offer the next step for police, fire, and emergency medical professionals. The growing lithium industry in South Arkansas requires critical safety infrastructure, and we are excited to provide a degree to support growth in our region.”
The program is designed to serve both traditional undergraduate students interested in public safety or government service and working professionals in fire service, law enforcement, EMS, healthcare, or the military seeking advancement into command, administrative, or policy leadership roles.
Military veterans transitioning into civilian emergency management careers and adult learners with related credentials or experience are also encouraged to apply. SAU offers flexible transfer pathways and course formats designed to accommodate both traditional students and working professionals. Full admissions details are available on the program’s website.
Graduates of the program will be prepared for careers such as Emergency Management Director, Homeland Security Analyst, Critical Infrastructure Protection Specialist, Incident Commander, and leadership positions in fire service, law enforcement, EMS, healthcare systems, and emergency planning organizations. Potential employers include FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security, the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management, hospitals and healthcare systems, school and university safety offices, and private-sector risk management firms.
“As a former first responder, I understand how difficult it can be for emergency services professionals to pursue higher education while balancing work, family, and community responsibilities. That is why this fully online Emergency Management program was created with flexible 7-week courses designed specifically for today’s working professionals,” said Josh Miller, assistant professor of criminal justice. Miller added, “One of the greatest advantages of the 7-week format is that students can maintain a full course load while focusing on only two to three classes at a time, making the program more manageable and accessible for busy professionals.”
As communities across Arkansas and the nation face growing challenges related to disaster response, cybersecurity, public safety, and infrastructure protection, SAU continues to expand programs that directly support regional workforce and leadership needs. The new Emergency Management degree reflects the University’s commitment to preparing students for meaningful, high-demand careers while serving industries and agencies that play a vital role in protecting communities throughout the region.
To learn more about the Emergency Management program at SAU, visit SAU Emergency Management Program.
About SAU:
Southern Arkansas University provides students with the complete college experience in a caring environment of service, innovation, and community. With more than 100 degrees across four distinct colleges and the School of Graduate Studies, SAU initiates new degree programs to meet the needs of today’s career and professional trends. To learn more about SAU, visit www.saumag.edu.
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