State Representative Julie Mayberry presented House Bill 1370 to the House Education Committee on Wednesday, proposing a limited return of alternative methods of instruction (AMI) to let school districts use remote instruction after a sequence of closures.

"First of all, I understand that our Department of Education is not a fan of this," Mayberry said. The bill, as presented, would preserve the current requirement that the first five canceled school days be made up in person, allow districts to request AMI for the next five days with Arkansas Department of Education approval, and require State Board of Education approval for plans after the tenth missed day. Mayberry also added language to include "any other unforeseen circumstance caused or created by humans, including without limitation an active shooter event or a threat of an active shooter event," as a principal cause for a district's inability to meet minimum school hours.

David Hopkins, superintendent of the Clarksville School District, testified in support and described local investments in virtual tools and one-to-one devices. "I feel like there's probably more value in one 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, describing Clarksville's experience using AMI to preserve instructional continuity after short closures.

Courtney Salasford, chief of staff for the Arkansas Department of Education, told the committee that access to reliable internet and consistent instructional quality on AMI days varies across districts. "Even in schools where they do have 1-to-1 technology we saw in past where a lot of them would send worksheets home...it was not always on grade level," Salasford said, noting the department lacks capacity to audit instruction quality across all districts.

Opponents and skeptical committee members raised equity and quality concerns for students without reliable internet or parental supports at home. Representative Andrews emphasized the risk to students in high-poverty areas who depend on in-person instruction for meals and supervision. Several members asked whether district calendar choices could mitigate the need for AMI by building additional hours earlier in the year.

After discussion and a roll-call vote recorded in the committee, HB 1370 failed to advance. The transcript shows committee debate, testimony from superintendents and the Department of Education, and a roll-call sequence; the committee chair announced the bill had failed following the vote.