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Senate committee rejects bill to restore broader remote "AMI" makeup days for Arkansas schools
Summary
The Senate Education Committee heard hours of testimony on House Bill 1370, which would have allowed up to three alternative-method-of-instruction (AMI) days after seven required in-person makeup days; the committee voted the bill down after extended debate about access, abuse and oversight.
State Representative Julie Mayberry, sponsor of House Bill 1370, urged the Senate Education Committee to restore limited remote ‘‘alternative methods of instruction’’ (AMI) for school districts after years of changes to state law.
The measure would require school districts to offer in-person make-up for the first seven missed attendance days, and allow up to three additional days (days 8–10) to be completed using AMI if local districts choose. The bill also adds language explicitly listing ‘‘any other unforeseen circumstance caused or created by humans, including without limitation an active shooter event or a threat of an active shooter event’’ as an allowable reason to close school.
Why it matters: The dispute reflected two recurring tensions in Arkansas education policy — how to preserve instructional quality after pandemic-era learning loss, and how to maintain local flexibility for districts with differing technology access. Supporters said limited AMI days keep students on schedule for national exams and reduce learning loss; opponents said earlier AMI rules were abused and uneven across districts.
Mayberry told the committee that districts should be allowed to use AMI only where it is effective and that the bill returns discretion to local boards: "If Internet is very spotty or if that school district feels like it's just not the effective way to keep students in their learning, then they don't have to use it," she said. Former state representative and educator Charlotte Vining Douglas described AMI as a tool that allows teachers to design real‑time makeup work and said AMI "is also a safety concern for students and parents and teachers." Deputy Commissioner Stacy Smith, Arkansas Department of Education, said school districts may apply to the State Board of Education for additional relief after the tenth missed day.
Opponents, led in questioning by Senator Brianne Davis, said a prior statutory framework allowed up to 10 AMI days and that the LEARNS legislation changed that in 2023 in response to uneven implementation and apparent misuse — including districts using AMI-related approvals for non-emergency events. Davis said the lack of consistent standards and accountability produced widely different student experiences: "Some students have access to Internet; some don't. There was no consistency, no streamlining, across the state or across specific school districts." Senator Reginald Murdock and others pressed the sponsor for stronger, enforceable safeguards to prevent the kind of abuses opponents described.
A Sheridan High School senior testified in favor of restoring AMI options, describing how prepackaged materials and district plans ensured equitable access in her district and saying AMI days helped advanced students stay on track for AP exams.
Committee discussion also focused on implementation details already in state rules: Mayberry and witnesses said school districts must submit AMI plans to the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) for approval; ADE review would be the primary safeguard against misuse. The bill's sponsor offered to revise language to clarify that the commissioner referenced in the bill is the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education.
After committee debate, a motion to advance the bill was seconded and put to a roll-call vote. The committee recorded ayes from Senator Jim Dodson, Senator Reginald Murdock, Senator Bridal King and Senator Stephanie Flowers and noes from Senator Joshua Bryant, Senator Brianne Davis and Senator Dan Sullivan. The chair announced: "Bill fails." The sponsor said she may bring the measure back once.
The hearing highlighted persistent implementation questions: which students and grades best use AMI, how to ensure equity where internet access is uneven, and how ADE review and state board approval would be used to prevent non-emergency uses of AMI.
The committee did not advance an amended version; Representative Mayberry said she would seek member feedback and revise the bill for a potential future filing.
