State Representative Julie Mayberry presented House Bill 1370 to the House Education Committee, asking the panel to restore a limited option for alternative methods of instruction (AMI) after the first five missed school days and to allow districts to close for "any other unforeseen circumstance caused or created by humans including without limitation an active shooter event or a threat of an active shooter event."

"We're just trying to give our school districts a little bit of flexibility and trust that our school districts are trying to do what's best for their kids," Mayberry said in closing.

David Hopkins, superintendent of Clarksville School District, told the committee that Clarksville had invested in one-to-one technology and a learning management system and that, for his district, a virtual day in February can preserve classroom continuity better than tacking a make-up day onto the end of the year. "I feel like there's probably more value in 1 of our virtual days that we can maintain some continuity with what's going on currently in that classroom virtually versus tagging that day on in June," Hopkins said. He told the committee Clarksville expected to add six make-up days this year and typically adds four to five in a busy year.

The Department of Education, represented by Courtney Salas Ford, chief of staff, warned of equity and monitoring problems. "Access is not equal across the state," Salas Ford said, noting some districts lack reliable internet and others sent home worksheets during past AMI days that were not grade-level or aligned to current instruction. She said the department cannot feasibly review daily AMI lesson quality across 264 school districts.

Members debated the trade-offs. Representative Andrews argued that in-person instruction is demonstrably better for many students, particularly those in high-poverty households who depend on school for meals and adult supervision. "These kids...they're not going to be learning at home," Andrews said, opposing an expanded AMI option. Representative Duke and others questioned attendance and engagement for remote days; Hopkins said many students logged in during COVID-era remote options but acknowledged some did not and required outreach.

Bill details discussed in committee: the first five missed days would still require in-person make-up as under current law; after five days a district could request ADE approval to use AMI days for up to five additional days, subject to plan review by the department or the State Board. The bill also explicitly added human-caused threats (for example, active-shooter threats) to the list of reasons a district may close.

Committee members pressed on limits and oversight. Representative Nazarinko asked where diminishing returns might appear if AMI continued for multiple days; Mayberry said the bill offered up to five AMI days with further days subject to State Board approval and emphasized that districts that lack reliable internet are not required to use AMI. The Department said average closures statewide are one to two days, but extreme weather events can produce four- or five-day closures.

The committee took a roll-call vote on the due-pass motion for HB 1370. The motion failed on the record; the transcript records the following member votes (as read into the record by the clerk):

Yes: Representative Cozart; Representative Vaught; Representative Mayberry; Representative Garner; Representative Furman; Representative Walker; Roseanne McGruder; Representative Burnett; Representative Gonzales.

No: Representative Vick; Representative Brown; Representative Barker; Representative Duke; Representative Panner; Representative Andrews; Representative Nazarinko.

Not voting/absent as read: Representative Meeks; Representative McColl; Representative McKenzie.

After the roll call the chair announced the bill had failed. The committee then adjourned.