This study examines Arkansas school districts' response to COVID-19, specifically focusing on the type of distance/remote learning methods school districts switched to toward the end of the spring 2020 semester. The instruction methods range from online teacher-student instruction through platforms such as Zoom and Google Classroom to alternative methods of instruction (AMI) packet pickups with minimal or no teacher-student instruction. The choice of instruction method has both short- and long-term effects on students' performance and the achievement gap between economically advantaged and disadvantaged students. We examine factors that are associated with school districts choosing online teacher-student interaction. Results show school districts with a more significant percentage of minorities were more likely to switch to online teacher-student instruction. Schools in counties with higher broadband coverage were more likely to switch to online teacher-student instruction rather than use packets. Factors such as whether the district was a charter district or not and the school district's performance had no measurable impact on the decision to switch to online teacher-student instruction vis-à-vis packet pickups.