Note: The information below has been retained for archival purposes only. The passage of the LEARNS Act (2023) effectively eliminated AMI snow days by requiring districts to meet strict on-site, in-person instructional time mandates.
In 2017, the Arkansas Legislature passed ACT 862 (2017) that allowed school districts to develop Alternate Methods of Instruction plans which could be used on days when the superintendent closed school due to exceptional or emergency circumstances … such as inclement weather, a contagious disease outbreak, or a major utility outage. This initiative has been especially helpful for small, isolated, rural districts.
The Arkansas Department of Education has an AMI page on their website that gives a full description of this program. It also features an AMI Guidance Document, a list of Schools with Approved AMI Plans, and five sample plans to serve as examples of how an AMI program can positively impact teaching and learning.
Note: When I was the JDS Curriculum Administrator, my team wrote the Jasper School District AMI Plan (sample), so feel free to use any portion of this document that applies to your school.