LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A group working to put the Arkansas LEARNS Act up for voter referendum said Friday it would continue its efforts.

The group Citizens for Arkansas Public Education and Students, or CAPES, has submitted two referendums to the Attorney General’s office, both of which have been denied. Attorney General Tim Griffin said Thursday that the most recent denial was due to the submission missing summaries, had too small a font in some sections and did not address all the issues seen in the first submission’s denial.

CAPES executive committee chairperson Veronica McClane said the group would submit a third referendum early in the week of May 15th.

McClane said in a statement Friday that she had attempted to have an in-person meeting with Griffin, “but to no avail.” She said an assistant attorney had recommended email communication with the office. 

During the interim CAPES would be working to mobilize and recruit volunteers to get the required ballot signatures to have the referendum placed on the 2024 ballot, McClane said.

Arkansas LEARNS was a cornerstone of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sander’s campaign and legislative agenda. She has referred to the efforts by CAPES and other groups as being “without merit.”