(a) The purpose of Arkansas Code § 6-13-1612 and this section is to:

1. (1) Prevent students who attend administratively consolidated or administratively annexed schools from returning home to communities with little or no opportunities for supplemental academic support;
2. (2) Increase opportunities for access to library materials, academic resource materials, and educational technology for these students within their local communities; and
3. (3) Help advance academic performance for these students by providing opportunities for homework and tutorial assistance based on the Arkansas academic standards.

(b) An academic support center may be established in communities whose schools have been closed by administrative consolidation or administrative annexation under Arkansas Code § 6-13-1601 et seq. to fulfill the objectives identified in:

1. (1) Arkansas Code § 6-13-1612(a); and
2. (2) This section.

(c) The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education shall report annually to the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education regarding:

1. (1) The establishment of academic support centers; and
2. (2) Their effectiveness.