now days used to mean the same thing to every student in America- a day off from school. Nowadays, you can get different answers on what students do on snow days, making it confusing for everyone.
I am here to propose a solution to this confusion that will make all parties happy: bringing back work-free snow days.
No online class meetings and no make-up assignments, just built-in days that can be added to the end of the school year that allow kids several free days throughout the year.
In Arkansas, Alternative Method of Instruction, or AMI, days were implemented in the 2019-2020 school year to avoid students falling behind in coursework due to factors outside of their control like inclement weather.
In 2023, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders passed the Arkansas LEARNS Act, overhauling Arkansas’ education system and giving many the impression AMI days were a thing of the past.
This was not the case however, as no part of the bill contained provisions that did away with AMI days as we knew them, confirmed by Republican State Rep. Julie Mayberry.
Mayberry was actively working to clarify this fact as recently as November of 2023, illustrating just how confused school districts had been regarding the issue.
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin clarified public schools in Arkansas must have 178 days of on-site learning in the school year to meet requirements for state funding allocated for teacher raises under the new LEARNS Act.
This means that while AMI days are still allowed to be used by schools, they do not count toward that 178-day total, effectively making them unusable if days are not added to the end of the school year.
Before AMI, school districts in Arkansas had built-in days throughout the school year that allowed for missed days that could then be added onto the end of the year to meet required student attendance marks.
Due to these policies, kids like myself growing up in Arkansas enjoyed these snow days whenever they came around without worrying about make-up work or virtual assignments.
Sure, we ended up having a few extra days of school in May, but it was always good enough to justify having to do work on snow days.
Students love nothing more than a break from the norm and getting a chance to play in the snow or huddle up inside on a winter day rather than going to school would be a largely positive thing for them.
A win-win scenario would be to officially do away with AMI and programs like it and fully bring back the policy that allows for built-in work-free days during the winter months on condition that they be made up before the end of the year.
Let kids and teachers both enjoy their snow days without the stress of extra assignments and extra grading.
Work-free snow days are what’s best for everyone.
But of course, that’s just one man’s opinion.
Categories: Opinion
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