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Read. Follow. Verify.Arizona Referral SCR 1046 Establishes New English Learner Education Mandates and Parent Lawsuit Rights
Last action · February 9, 2026: Senate Second ReadingSponsors: Eva Diaz and 8 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Arizona lawmakers refer a measure to the ballot requiring public schools to ensure English learners receive high-quality education and language mastery, while giving parents legal standing to sue schools for enforcement and recover attorney fees and actual damages.
Parents gain the legal right to sue public school districts and charter schools for enforcement of English learner educational standards, with potential awards for actual damages and attorney fees if successful.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Parents and legal guardians
Parents gain legal standing to sue public schools for enforcement of English learner educational requirements and may recover attorney fees and actual damages.
Public school districts and charter schools
Schools must comply with adopted structured English immersion models, identify home languages, and face potential lawsuits from parents for non-compliance.
English language learners
Students classified as English learners are guaranteed access to specific daily instructional hours and research-based language programs.
Key Facts
- Repeals sections 15-752, 15-753, 15-754, and 15-755 of the Arizona Revised Statutes.
- Requires public schools and charter schools to identify the primary or home language of new pupils and assess English language proficiency.
- Grants parents or legal guardians legal standing to sue for enforcement of English learner standards and recover normal attorney fees and actual damages.
- Requires the State Board of Education to adopt research-based models of structured English immersion including a minimum of 120 minutes per day for grades K-5 and 100 minutes per day for grades 6-12.
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- Permits school districts and charter schools to establish dual-language immersion programs for both native and nonnative English speakers.
- Directs the Secretary of State to submit the proposition to voters at the next general election.
Frequently Asked Questions
What rights do parents have under this measure?
What are the daily instructional time requirements for English learners?
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · on the Senate floor.
Procedural history
2 actions- Feb 9, 2026SenateFloorSenate Second Reading
- Feb 5, 2026SenateIntroducedSenate First Reading
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Introduction of Parent Lawsuits for Educational Standards
The measure introduces a private right of action for parents to sue school districts over English learner instruction, shifting enforcement from purely administrative oversight to judicial remedies.
Connected Entities
Sources
apps.azleg.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance80How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
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