A popular civics education program for high school girls is facing scrutiny after over 70 volunteer members quit on the final day of the 2026 session.
Julia McKee started going to Girls State in 2023. She was selected to apply to the program at the end of her Junior year by her school’s sponsor.
McKee was chosen to be a Girls State delegate, and spent the week-long session participating in a mock-elections program designed to teach participants about U.S. civics policies. She says the connections she made during that session were what kept her coming back.
“I went, and I spent my first week there and I absolutely loved it. I met some of my best friends there," McKee told Little Rock Public Radio. "I learned a lot about civics and government and policy, and I also met so many great people from across the state who were at the same part of their life as me. We had all just completed our junior year going into our senior year, and, just had a great time.”
After the session, she was asked to return as a counselor, which she did for the next three years. She says Girls State, first and foremost, seeks to teach its delegates — that’s their word for students — the importance of participating in government and speaking up for what you believe in.
But, she says the 2026 session felt different.
“Throughout the week, we had delegates dropping like flies, and it really broke our hearts because I love this program and I would not be the person I am without it," McKee said. "So the fact that they hate it enough to call their parents to come get them truly just speaks to how different this session was versus our prior ones.”
The American Legion Auxiliary is a national organization and hosts ALA Girls Nation in Washington, D.C. Each state hosts their own Girls State program, which are run by a mix of staff and local volunteers with ties to the program.
Arkansas Girls State ran during the last week of May, and wrapped with a closing session for delegates to reflect on their experience, hear from guest speakers, and swear in their elected officials.
McKee says the closing session is usually marked by heartfelt goodbyes and tearful “I miss yous.” But this year, 10 longtime staff members publicly resigned, along with 74 out of 78 counselors, including Julia McKee. The counselors issued a press release alleging the program promoted “a culture of fear and shame,” and called for reforms.
A few days later, Arkansas Girls State refuted the allegations in a statement posted on Facebook, saying they prioritize the “safety, dignity, and well-being of every staff member and delegate.”
Lawmakers' response
Even prior to the 2026 session, Arkansas Girls State was facing controversy.
The deadline for Girls State applications this year was March 27, which fell on spring break for many schools. The deadline for Girls State is also typically the same time as the deadline for Boys State, a similar program run by a different organization. This year, though, the Girls State deadline was a week later.
School ALA sponsors, usually guidance counselors, are responsible for submitting students’ applications. Around 150 applications weren’t submitted by the deadline this year.
Some Arkansas lawmakers said refusing to take late applicants meant punishing students for something out of their control. One of them was state Rep. DeAnn Vaught, R-Horatio.
On April 23, Vaught moved to bar the 2026 Girls State session from using State Capitol facilities if Girls State organizers didn’t accept the late applicants.
Two days later, the Auxiliary Department of Arkansas released a statement on Facebook saying they were sad some schools missed the deadline, but would not accept late applications.
In previous years, the deadline has been extended. Even this year, the deadline for Arkansas Boys State was extended. Girls State told schools the deadline would not be extended for Girls State, and refused to speak further with sponsors. They have not responded to Little Rock Public Radio’s requests for comment.
State Rep. Ashley Hudson, D-Little Rock, said Girls State’s communication with schools was shocking.
“Not only was there a lack of communication, but the communication that was coming to them was often pretty hostile. There were at least two counselors in schools that were brought to tears in conversations with people in the auxiliary, who referred to this as... weaponized incompetence."
On April 27, the Arkansas House of Representatives put forward a resolution to bar Arkansas Girls State from using their chambers. They urged the National American Legion Auxiliary to communicate with them.
When no resolution was presented, Sen. Breanne Davis, R-Russellville, took matters into her own hands.
“Since… the auxiliary has chosen not to allow them to attend, we will be hosting the 150 young ladies here, for our own elite Girls State this summer,” she said.
Ultimately, lawmakers did not bar Girls State from using the House chambers. After Davis presented her alternative, she rescinded the original resolution. Counselor Julia McKee said this disagreement made her nervous for this year’s session.
This year's program
During the session, McKee says her anxiety only continued. She and her fellow counselors pointed to a number of issues with the 2026 session, saying the dress code was “oppressive.” They also stated the ALA staff, including chairwoman Melissa Mangini, interacted disrespectfully with delegates and counselors and promoted a culture of silence.
“There was one incident where… a counselor was told one of her delegates might have had a vape. And Harding [University] is a smoke-free, tobacco-free campus, and it’s frowned upon with the American Legion Auxiliary," she said. "Our chairwoman at the time walked into this girl's room at 1 o’clock in the morning and gave a, visual search, essentially looking for this vape, in the middle of the night, unwarranted, with really no cause, and… we found no vape.”
McKee says after the search, staff talked about sending the girl home.
Girls State defended the incident in their June 1 statement, saying no search was conducted, but staff did respond to a complaint filed by a delegate regarding their suite mate. According to their post, delegates were not threatened with dismissal, and no disciplinary action was taken.
The counselors' press release contradicts Girls State’s posts. In their statement, Girls State said the dress code was fully communicated in writing before the session. They claim delegates were not shamed because of the dress code. But Junior counselor Carmen Campbell disagrees.
“We would try so hard to make sure our girls wouldn’t be in attire that they would feel is inappropriate so that they wouldn’t get dress-coded. But if that did happen, just the way they went about it was very inappropriate.”
Staff repeatedly stated the importance of modesty and professionalism when speaking on the harsher dress code, according to Campbell. She says staff would make dress code announcements at unexpected times.
“It was clear that they were seeking to put… young women down for what they wore, how they acted," she said.
Campbell says the saddest part about the Girls State post is how it has affected the delegates of this year's session.
“They’re sitting there being smacked in the face by the hard reality that grown women that were supposed to take care of them and nurture them for a week instead are sitting there and telling the public that they all lied.”
Junior counselor Lexington Hynes said the statement from Girls State was “audacious”.
“To call everyone a liar… it shows us where their morals lie, and it shows us that there is no intent of accountability, which is absolutely ridiculous.”
Both Hynes and Campbell said they believe the behavior of Girls State staff during the session does not meet the standard of behavior for the national chapter of the American Legion Auxiliary. They say the women’s comments during the session were inappropriate, and made delegates uncomfortable. On Facebook, the American Legion Auxiliary Department of Arkansas, which is separate from the American Legion Auxiliary Arkansas Girls State, says all concerns are under review.
Hynes commended the Auxiliary Department of Arkansas for their response, but said she still has questions about how Girls State leaders will be held accountable.
“And our only question is, how do we hold them accountable to that? Even if we achieve some sort of change now, what stops this from happening again? Delegates, they sign a pledge. Counselors sign a pledge. What pledge does the ALA have to take? How do we make sure that they actually adhere to the pledges we all have to take, of just basic human respect and decency?”
Senior counselor McKee says she believes the message of encouraging girls to use their own voice was not accomplished to its full extent. In their post, Arkansas Girls State says they are committed to transparency, accountability, and empowerment of their delegates.
The organization has not responded to Little Rock Public Radio’s requests for comment.
