Credit to Izzy Lash

A student does work for an AMI day. AMI days are an alternative to making up snow days in May or June,

Starting this year, the Francis Howell School District is implementing AMI days. AMI stands for Alternative Methods of Instruction. AMI days will take effect on the fifth and sixth snow days of the school year. During AMI days, students will have assigned work from their teachers that they will do on those days in order to be marked present for that day.

“Kids would do work at home, and because they’re working at home and then have to turn that work in, either when they return or submit it online, we then don’t make those days up,” Principal Jeffrey Fletcher said. “So, we can have six snow days without adding any days to the year.”

AMI days are a new district policy that came around after COVID brought virtual learning to the forefront. They have been allowed by the state of Missouri since the 2020-21 school year, but are only now being instituted throughout FHSD. The first four snow days are built into the schedule, the fifth and sixth are AMI days, days seven and eight have to be made up, before days nine and 10 are AMI days again.

“I personally love that we finally have gotten to this,” FHN teacher Melissa Hanrahan said. “I feel like we were the last district in Saint Charles County to go this way, and I think it’s a good opportunity for students to be able to get out of school earlier than like mid-  June.”

This new development is another step in the district utilizing more independent learning regimens for students in order to boost productivity. AMI days are still developing and still open to feedback from the wider school community.

“I’m sure that we’ll do the first [AMI day] and then we’ll get some feedback from kids, parents and teachers and say, ‘hey, this worked, this didn’t, how can we make it better? So, I would also anticipate there being a follow-up if we have our first AMI day,” Fletcher said.