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Senate committee debates bill to restore limited remote makeup days for Arkansas schools; proposal fails on voice/roll call
Summary
State Representative Julie Mayberry proposed restoring a limited Alternative Methods of Instruction (AMI) option so school districts could use remote instruction for three makeup days after seven in-person makeups; proponents and opponents debated equity, quality and past abuses; the committee voted and the motion failed.
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 inconsistently implemented and sometimes abused for nonemergency uses, and they argued in-person instruction provides higher-quality learning, especially for early grades.
Former Representative Charlotte Vining Douglas, original sponsor of the 2017 AMI language, described practical classroom uses: real-time assignments tied to current lessons, prepackaged packets for elementary students and teacher availability during school hours on AMI days. “Real time means that they’re missing Monday for snow, but they get to make up that day on that Monday,” Douglas said, adding that rules from the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) can address accountability and access issues.
Several senators questioned access and quality. Senator Brianne Davis and Senator Reginald Murdock said prior practice showed uneven standards across districts; Senator Davis and others cited instances where AMI days became worksheets without consistent grading or statewide standards. Senator Flowers and Senator Davis noted the LEARNS Act changes in 2023 that narrowed AMI use, saying those changes responded to perceived abuses. Stacy Smith, deputy commissioner at the Department of Education, confirmed the State Board of Education retains authority to waive day requirements in some circumstances.
A Sheridan High School senior, Presley Milliken, testified in favor of the bill. Milliken, who described herself as an AP student, told the committee that, in her experience, “AMI days … allow parents to get in touch with what their kids are learning, and it allows them to help.” She said her district preprints work for students lacking home internet access and that AMI helped AP students stay on schedule for national exams.
Committee members pressed the sponsor on safeguards against past abuses where AMI or approved exceptions were used for nonemergency purposes. Senator Brianne Davis and others asked whether the bill would blunt commissioner discretion; Representative Mayberry said she would accept clarifying language to keep ADE or the State Board involved in approval. Senator Jim Dodson and Senator Dan Sullivan urged working offline to draft clearer enforcement language.
The committee held a vote after debate. A roll-call segment recorded aye and no votes by several senators in the transcript (Sen. Jim Dodson: Aye; Sen. Joshua Bryant: No; Sen. Reginald Murdock: Aye; Sen. Brian King: Aye; Sen. Brianne Davis: No; Sen. Stephanie Flowers: Aye; Sen. Dan Sullivan: No). The chair announced, “Bill fails.” The sponsor said she could bring the bill back after revisions.
What’s next: Representative Mayberry said she would work with committee members on language changes and return the bill later. Several senators recommended the sponsor pull the bill to rewrite it with the committee’s feedback before another hearing.
Ending note: The hearing captured an ongoing tension between preserving in-person instructional time and giving districts flexible tools to respond to short-term closures, with committee members asking for clearer safeguards and enforcement if AMI uses are restored.
