LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas LEARNS Act was passed in March 2023, changing many aspects of education here in Arkansas, but it may also be unlocking a timeless tradition for nearly every kid: work-free snow days.
"Trying to make sure that everyone understands as we move into the winter season," Republican State Rep. Julie Mayberry said. "AMI days, as we have known them, will not exist."
According to Mayberry, there is some confusion regarding the governor's massive education reform plan when it comes to alternative methods of instruction or AMI days.
"The LEARNS Act, and really no other bill passed in the session, did away with the law currently on the books that outlines AMI days," Mayberry said. "Because the law still exists, allowing AMI days, it made up kind of confusing as to whether or not a school district can make use of AMI days."
According to the law, a public school must be open for on-site, in-person instruction for at least 178 days or 1,068 hours; because of that, Mayberry sent a request to Attorney General Tim Griffin for clarification.
The attorney general's office issued an opinion response:
"AMI days do not count toward the 178 days or 1,068 hours each school year to be eligible to receive state funds for teacher salary increases... Any days or hours during which a school district is not open for 'on-site' in-person instruction would not count toward this requirement regardless of whether alternative methods of instruction, including virtual instruction, occur on those days."
Mayberry, who favors having AMI days for schools, is now working to get the word out to inform schools and parents of what this could mean.
"I do not want a school district thinking that AMI days exist," Mayberry said. "Then go ahead and have an AMI day and then find out at the end of the year that they have to either forfeit money or make up more days at the end of the school year when the students already completed the work."
However, Griffin said in response to Mayberry's request that exceptions could be made depending on the circumstances for school districts to use current AMI days.
"In response to your question, it does not prohibit a school district from using Commissioner-approved AMI days," Griffin said. "As a practical matter, most school districts probably will not use Commissioner AMI if those funds cannot also count toward the funding requirements. Still, there may be instances where a school district remains open for on-site, in-person instruction, thus meeting the requirement."
According to the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE), AMI days involve online instruction with an approved plan used when on-site instruction is closed due to exceptional or emergency circumstances "like severe weather, a contagious disease outbreak, a utility outage, or an act of God."
Jacksonville North Pulaski Superintendent Jeremy Owoh said having AMI days was helpful.
"A lot of things will take place during the months of April and May, and so the instructional days that we would lose before the end would have been more beneficial for us at those times and not in June," Owoh said. "We'll still utilize those days as instructional days, academic extension and enrichment days, but I would rather have those during the months that students are focused and preparing for those end-of-the-year assessments and activities."
However, Owoh said their district started implementing these changes in Spring 2023 and created this year's school calendar to reflect the law they're adhering to.
"We want to make sure we adhere to those mandates, those laws that are in place, so that we can continue to be able to provide the resources to support our young people, but also our staff members," Owoh said.