MILLER COUNTY, Ark. (KSLA) – Several educational groups in Arkansas are working together to make changes to amend the state constitution’s education clause.

Members with Arkansas Educational Rights brought their message to Miller County, saying they the amendment they are seeking will provide three critical things.

“First it provides universal access to the most proven educational standards that boost learning it requires any school that receive public financing to follow the same standards as public schools and the third potent take the existing Arkansas minimum education standards so future lawmakers can’t water down our educational qualities,” said Bill Kopsky, with Ark. Public Policy.

Before changes can be placed on the November ballot, they must collect over 90,000 signatures from at least 50 counties across the state. They say the petition drive is not without opposition.

“There have been a lot of propaganda going out that’s been paid by the opposition to spread a message against what we are trying to do and a lot of time that’s disinformation or misinformation at best because they are trying to confuse the voters,” said Steve Grappe, with Stand Up Arkansas.

The group has until July 5 to get the necessary signatures for the amendment to be on the ballot.

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Arkansas is suing Minnesota-based Optum Inc. and another pharmacy benefits manager, Express Scripts, for fueling the opioid crisis.

Court documents describe “the misuse, abuse, diversion and over-prescription of opioids” as “the worst man-made epidemic in modern medical history”.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said the companies, which run prescription drug coverage for insurers, should be held accountable “for their roles in a crisis that has ravaged our state.”

“The (companies) benefited financially from the opioid crisis in Arkansas by negotiating favorable deals with opioid manufacturers,” Griffin said in a news release.

Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, denies the claims.

“Optum did not cause the opioid crisis or make it worse, and we will defend ourselves in this litigation,” the company said in a statement. “Optum takes the opioid epidemic seriously and has taken a comprehensive approach to fight this issue, including the Opioid Risk Management Program available to all Optum Rx clients, to address opioid abuse and promote patient health.”

Arkansas had the second-highest opioid prescription rate in the nation for many years, according to the suit, and remained the most commonly prescribed controlled substance as recently as 2022.

Pharmacy benefit managers “sit at the center of prescription-drug dispensing” and intentionally caused an oversupply of opioids in the state, the suit says.

The lawsuit accuses Optum and Cigna-owned Express Scripts of “colluding with Purdue Pharma and other opioid manufacturers to increase opioid sales through favorable placement on national formularies in exchange for rebates and fees.”

Formularies are lists of drugs covered by insurance plans.

The state is seeking unspecified damages and restitution for claims of creating a public nuisance, negligence and unjust enrichment.