Senate committee debates bill to restore limited remote makeup days for Arkansas schools; proposal fails on voice/roll call

State Representative Julie Mayberry on behalf of House Bill 1370 asked the Senate Education Committee to restore limited use of Alternative Methods of Instruction, or AMI, for Arkansas public schools, proposing a compromise that would require the first seven missed days to be made up in person and allow local districts the option to use AMI for days eight through ten.

The proposal would return some local discretion for school districts that want to use remote or packet-based instruction after a week of in-person makeups. Mayberry told the committee she sought a middle ground and said the bill “is only a tool that needs to be put back in the toolbox of a school district to let them use their discretion.”

Why it matters: Proponents said AMI can preserve instructional continuity when schools close for weather or other short-term emergencies and that experience since the law’s 2017 creation has increased districts’ capacity to deliver meaningful remote work. Opponents raised concerns that AMI had been…