What Eli’s Law Does

Eli’s Law applies to all Arkansas public school districts and open‑enrollment public charter schools, not just high schools. The core requirement is simple: each locker room and dressing room on a public school campus must have an audio‑recording device installed and operating. The law is framed as a student‑safety measure, designed to deter and document bullying, harassment, and other misconduct in these often unsupervised spaces.

How Schools Must Comply

The act requires schools to purchase, install, and maintain audio devices that can clearly record conversations in locker and dressing rooms. Districts and charters must adopt written policies explaining where devices are placed, how long recordings are kept, and who can access them. Schools also have to coordinate with their legal counsel and insurance carriers, since recordings may become evidence in discipline, child‑welfare, or criminal investigations.
Schools must keep each locker room audio recording for at least 90 days, and normally no longer than 12 months from the date it was made. If there is an allegation of wrongdoing and the recording may be used as evidence, the law allows it to be retained beyond 12 months until it is no longer needed for that purpose.

Privacy and Access to Recordings

Although the law mandates recording, it also restricts how those recordings may be used and accessed. Access is generally limited to school officials who need the audio to investigate a specific incident, to law enforcement, or to comply with a court order or formal records request that is consistent with student‑privacy laws like FERPA. The act contemplates that students and parents will not have open‑ended live‑monitoring access; instead, recordings are pulled and reviewed when there is a report or reasonable suspicion of misconduct.

Implementation Timeline and Funding

HB 1866 was filed in March 2025, moved quickly through the House and Senate, and became Act 908 in April 2025. The legislation takes effect for the 2025–2026 school year, giving districts a short window to budget for and install equipment. A fiscal impact note warns that costs will vary significantly depending on the number of facilities and the technology chosen, but it also notes that many districts may try to integrate these devices into existing security or intercom systems to control expenses.

How BDJtech Can Help

BDJtech is prepared to partner with your school district for the procurement and installation of compliant safety equipment. Our trusted partner, Verkada, offers the SV25 sensor, which is the ideal product for meeting Eli’s Law requirements and provides the added benefit of vape detection.