Arkansas House approves bill letting districts use alternative-method instruction days after closures

The Arkansas House on March 4 approved House Bill 13‑70, allowing local school districts to include additional days or hours of alternative-method instruction (AMI) in their calendars to make up missed school days after closures caused by weather, utilities outages, threats to safety and other emergency circumstances.

Supporters framed the bill as a tool to give local districts flexibility when campuses are closed for short emergency periods. "This is giving our school districts one more tool in their tool belt to be able to use, giving some local control," Representative Mark Mayberry said while explaining the bill.

Opponents said AMI days risk worsening learning loss and would disproportionately affect students without home internet. "We still have about 30% of Arkansas students in this state who do not have internet access at their house," Representative Richardson said, warning that remote AMI work can leave some students unable to participate. Teacher concerns were raised as well: Representative Grama described the extra unpaid work teachers do to prepare AMI packages and said in her classroom AMI days can result in additional make-up time rather than preserving instruction.

Other members echoed both sides. Representative Hudson said school calendars that add days at the end of the year often become low-value days and create conflicts for families planning summer travel. Representative Vaught and others urged retaining local discretion so districts that can deliver online instruction may use AMI while others may not.

The House adopted a motion for immediate consideration before final action. The motion for immediate consideration passed by voice vote of 76 yays, 19 nays and 1 present. The final recorded vote on House Bill 13‑70 was 54 yeas, 35 nays and 6 present; the bill passed.

The bill adds "active threat" and similar human-caused emergencies to the list of circumstances under which a district may provide alternative instructional methods, and explicitly permits districts to place extra days or hours in the calendar to make up missed instruction. The statute gives districts the option to use AMI days; it does not mandate their use.

Why it matters: backers said AMI provides operational flexibility during short-term closures such as power or water outages, or localized weather impacts. Critics said the policy risks widening gaps in student access and undermining classroom instruction, citing persistent household broadband shortfalls and teacher workload concerns. The bill leaves the decision to individual districts, which supporters argued preserves local control.

The House debate repeatedly returned to two main points: (1) whether AMI days meaningfully preserve instruction or merely shift work and increase learning loss, and (2) unequal access to internet and device resources that would prevent some students from using AMI effectively. No amendments that changed the core opt-in structure were adopted on the House floor. The bill now proceeds to the next steps required by the legislative process.

Members who spoke during the debate included Representative Mark Mayberry (bill sponsor), Representative Grama (teacher testimony), Representative McKenzie (opponent), Representative Hudson (support), Representative Duke (opponent), Representative Vaught (support), Representative Beatty (opponent), Representative McGruder (support), Representative Richardson (opponent), Representative Wooten (support), Representative Rose (opponent) and others.