Share This Article
The Arkansas House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill Wednesday that would grant excused school absences to children of fallen military service members and first responders when attending memorial events or seeking mental health support.
House Bill 1986, sponsored by Representative Jason Nazarenko of Cotter, passed with a vote of 95-1, with one member voting present.
During his emotional presentation on the House floor, Nazarenko shared personal experiences that motivated the legislation.
“I sat in a memorial service for my good friend and fellow pilot as his two young boys wept at the loss of their father from a helicopter crash during training,” Nazarenko told colleagues. “The band I wear on my right wrist for another good friend and pilot I lost in a helicopter crash on my last tour there.”
Nazarenko continued, “The thought of Dave Stanley and Taylor Galvin’s young children never being able to hug their father as he returns home is forever etched in my mind, the majority of us here have witnessed for ourselves the horrific images of the bodies of our service members being drugged through the streets of Mogadishu back in 1993.”
According to the bill text, a student who is a child of a fallen service member or first responder “shall not be considered absent from his or her public school for the time during which he or she is absent from school due to a mental health concern or to attend an event from a sponsoring organization that provides support to families of fallen service members or first responders or provides support for traumatic loss, grief, or resiliency.”
The legislation defines “child” as a “biological or adopted son, daughter, stepson, or stepdaughter” and “first responder” as a “firefighter, law enforcement officer, or person employed as an emergency medical provider.”
To receive an excused absence, the student’s parent, legal guardian, or person standing in loco parentis must provide written documentation that the absence is to attend an event from a qualifying organization. Schools may use the resources page for Military Family Engagement on the Department of Education website to verify organizations that provide support to the military and first responder community.
“What this bill does is it makes excused absences for children of fallen service members and first responders from school when they are attending events by sponsoring organizations such as Gary Sinise’s Snowball Express and others that are geared towards bringing these kids together,” Nazarenko explained. “Helping them work through the grief process many times with others that share in that same experience. And providing them with much needed help that has been proven to make positive impacts in their life as they go forward.”
The bill includes provisions requiring students to be in good academic standing, have a good attendance record, and complete any missed assignments within the time period required by their school. Students will not be granted excused absences during standardized testing periods.
The Arkansas Department of Education reportedly sees a benefit in the proposal, which has no fiscal impact on the state. The bill was brought to Nazarenko by the Arkansas Veterans Coalition and the Hearts of Our Heroes organization, which focuses on supporting families who have experienced tragic losses.
Before closing his remarks, Nazarenko invoked the Night Stalker creed from his military service: “Night Stalkers don’t quit, and Night Stalkers don’t forget.”
Nazarenko, who retired from the Army in 2019 after serving as a Blackhawk pilot with the Night Stalkers special operations aviation unit, has deep ties to the Cotter community. He comes from a veteran family, with his father settling in Cotter after a career in the Navy. After graduating from Cotter High School, he married Baxter County native Kammi Statler before joining the military.
Currently, Nazarenko works for Baxter Health and serves as a volunteer helicopter pilot in Baxter County. He also serves as the president of the Cotter-Gassville Chamber of Commerce and has been recognized as a driving force in breathing new life into downtown Cotter.
The bill now moves to the Senate, where it is sponsored by Senator D. Wallace.
