Arkansas law states that youth services centers operated by the Division of Youth Services (DYS) are educational institutions and entitled to all the rights and privileges of other accredited institutions of the state. The law also states that students completing courses that meet the minimum standards prescribed for the public schools in the state shall receive the same credit as students in an Arkansas public school.
The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) and the DYS have committed significant time and resources to assure the educational program in DYS youth services centers complies with Arkansas Standards for Accreditation and is aligned with Arkansas Curriculum Frameworks.
Credits earned in a DYS youth services center should be given the same credit as credits transferred from any Arkansas accredited school.
In order to ensure educational continuity, requests for records of students placed in DYS youth services centers must be met with all due speed. The DYS intake and placement system is severely delayed without transcripts, special education records, health records, etc.
While DYS educational programs are the equivalent of accredited school programs, DYS does not operate comprehensive schools, and cannot issue diplomas. Therefore, ADE requests that schools receiving students review credits, assess transcripts, and issue diplomas using the state Standards for graduation or the same standards they use for other students in the local school.