Arkansas students back in class after a week of winter weather closures

MAYFLOWER, Ark. – After a week of sledding and cozy moments by the fire, kids are back in the classroom.

Bells rang bright and early Tuesday morning in Mayflower, a warm welcome for teachers and staff.

“Our last day of school was December 22, and this is January 23,” third grade teacher Karen Wilson said.

Arkansas public school students no longer receiving AMI days; how this is impacted by LEARNS Act

Wilson said she’s had just four days with her third graders since Christmas break.

“When you have that many days in a row, it does bear on learning, and it does impact where they are, what they retained, and for teaching, where we go from here,” Wilson said.

AMI days are few and far between after the implementation of the LEARNS Act, which requires students to do in-person learning for a certain number of days. This means snow days go back to being days off from learning.

Concerns coming after Arkansas LEARNS Act affects AMI days

Teachers like Wilson said it’s a challenge getting kids back into routine, and sometimes they can’t just pick up where they left off.

“We are pulling intervention groups and small groups to make sure that we try and fill in any gaps that have occurred,” Wilson said.

The district said it’s all about rolling with the punches and preparing the best they can.

“Teachers are resilient folks,” Mayflower Superintendent Andy Chisum said. “They practice this. They deal with things that come up, and they’ll make it work.”

Teachers say it’s all about being flexible.

Small businesses in Little Rock get back to business after winter weather

Mayflower school employees said the district had five snow days built into the school year calendar, so as of now, no days will be added to the end of the year. If they surpass that five, the district will reevaluate when those days will be made up.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.