Title 16 — Title 16

(a) The “Governor’s Academic Achievement Program” is created to encourage and reward academic improvement in the public schools of this state. (b) Pursuant to the State Board of Education Academic Assistance Program, the status of each public school is classified as one of the fo…

(a) Beginning in the 2000-2001 school year, any public school student in this state who is required by statute or regulation of the State Department of Education to be tested or assessed by Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) or any other assessment used by the school system who scor…

Veterans. The State Superintendent of Education may award a standard high school diploma to any honorably discharged veteran who served in the United States Armed Forces at any time between December 7, 1941, and January 31, 1946, between June 27, 1950, and January 31, 1955, or be…

Superintendents of Education. (a)(1) Each person newly elected or appointed as a city or county superintendent of education shall, prior to assuming office, attend and satisfactorily complete a training program on school finances and education law. This requirement shall be appli…

Superintendents of Education. (a) The School Superintendents of Alabama, a professional organization, shall establish and administer a professional development program for all county and city superintendents of education. (b) This program shall draw guidance from the National Sta…

561) [Effective until October 1, 2026.] AMENDED BY ACT 2026-561, EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2026. SEE ACT FOR REVISED LANGUAGE. (a) Commencing with the 2007-2008 scholastic year, each local board of education and the governing body of each nonpublic school in the state shall permit the…

Photographed, Etc.; Retention of Photographs. The State Superintendent of Education and each of the several city and county superintendents of education may destroy or cause to be disposed of any record, document, books, papers or other writing which have been photographed or mic…

(a) During fiscal year 2009 and any fiscal year in which proration is declared by the Governor in an amount equal to or greater than three percent, local boards of education, with the recommendation of the local superintendent, may transfer Education Trust Fund line item appropri…

Each local public board of education shall adopt a policy for the orientation and ongoing training of members of its local board of education. History: (Act 2009-297, p. 507, §1.)

(a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the School Board Governance Improvement Act of 2012. (b) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (1) That the purpose of this section is to enhance the effectiveness of public education governance in Alabama thr…

(a) The State Superintendent of Education, the Chancellor of the Department of Postsecondary Education, and the Alabama Commission on Higher Education shall develop a plan for a high school fast track to college program that offers qualified individuals an opportunity to earn a h…

Local Community Colleges and Universities. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) LOCAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE. A two-year community or technical college under the purview of the Alabama Community College System whose service area in…

(a) For purposes of this section, a public institution of higher education includes public two-year and four-year institutions of higher education and postsecondary technical colleges, community colleges, and junior colleges located in the state. (b) A public institution of highe…

(a)(1) Each local board of education shall develop and adopt a comprehensive school emergency operations plan for each school under the authority of the board. (2) The local board or its agent shall examine the conditions and operations of each school under the authority of the l…

(a) As used in this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) RETIRED LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER. A person who was a law enforcement officer and retired in good standing from a federal, state, or local law enforcement agency with at least 20 years of law enforcem…

(a) The Department of Education shall implement an electronic notification system designed to allow local schools and local school systems to input specific information relating to school delays, early releases, shelter-in-place information, as well as other emergency-related inf…

Provide School Resource Officers. (a) For the purposes of this section, the term “nonpublic school” means a private, church, parochial, or religious school offering educational instruction in grades K- 12. The term includes home-schooling entities. (b)(1) A sheriff and county com…

(a) For purposes of this section, the term automated external defibrillator is given the same definition as provided in subsection (c) of Section 6-5-332.3. (b) An automated external defibrillator shall be placed in each public K-12 school in Alabama. The superintendent of each l…

(a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the Farm-To-School Procurement Act. (b) For the purposes of this section, unprocessed agricultural products means only those agricultural products that retain their inherent character. The effects of any of the following handlin…

Provided to Parents and Guardians of Students. (a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the Jessica Elkins Act. (b) If a local board of education provides information on immunizations, infectious diseases, medications, or other school health issues to parents and guard…

[Effective until October 1, 2026.] AMENDED BY ACT 2026-561, EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2026. SEE ACT FOR REVISED LANGUAGE. (a) The State Department of Education shall develop an anaphylaxis preparedness program to be adopted by each local board of education and implemented in each K-12…

Guardians of Students. (a) If a local board of education provides information on immunizations, infectious diseases, medications, or other school health issues to parents and guardians of students in grades K through 12, then all of the following information about influenza disea…

It is the intent of Sections 16-1-3 and 16-1-4 to permit the State Superintendent of Education and each of the several city and county superintendents of education to destroy, in the manner prescribed in Section 16-1-4, any records, documents, books or papers required by law to b…

(a) Any student in a public school under the jurisdiction of a local board of education or in a nonpublic school may possess and apply federal Food and Drug Administration regulated over-the-counter sunscreen at school and at school-based events notwithstanding any other provisio…

Programs for Gifted and Talented Children. (a) The Legislature finds and declares the following: (1) It is vital that Alabama’s public schools challenge and encourage students who are capable of completing accelerated academic work. (2) Programs to encourage accelerated students …

Sex Offender Students; Educational Placement of Juvenile Sex Offenders. (a)(1) On or before January 1, 2019, the State Board of Education shall develop a comprehensive model policy for the supervision and monitoring of juvenile sex offender students, who have a low risk of re-off…

Athletes. (a) The Legislature finds and declares the following: (1) Physical differences between biological males and biological females have long made separate and sex-specific sports teams important so that female athletes can have equal opportunities to compete in sports. (2) …

Child of a Full-Time Active Duty Military Parent. (a) For the purposes of this section, the term “athletic association” means any athletic organization operating in this state that has authority over its member institutions’ athletic programs, that receives public funds in any fo…

(a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) BROADCAST. To transmit or exhibit video or audio in any medium or manner accessible by televisions, radios, computers, or other Internet enabled devices. (2) COVER. To observe for reporting…

Student Use to Be Used by Individuals Based on Their Biological Sex. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) BIOLOGICAL SEX. The physical condition of being male or female, as stated on the individual’s original birth certificate…

(a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) FEMININE HYGIENE PRODUCTS. Includes sanitary napkins and tampons. (2) QUALIFYING SCHOOL. A public school that satisfies each of the following criteria: a. Provides instruction in grades fiv…

(a) A public K-12 school or a local board of education shall accept cash as a form of payment along with any other form of payment of its choosing for admission to school-sponsored sporting events that are open to the public. (b) All events that are open to the public, feature at…

Instructional Materials; Complaints. (a) At the beginning of each school year, and no later than 30 calendar days after a new or revised curriculum is adopted, the local superintendent of education and local board of education shall verify that each school under the jurisdiction …

The Alabama Association of School Board Members is hereby recognized as the organization and representative agency of the members of the school boards of Alabama. The State Superintendent of Education, the State Department of Education and the boards of education of the county an…

Courses. (a) Every pupil and every teacher in the public schools shall wear industrial quality eye protective devices while participating in the following courses: (1) Vocational or industrial arts, shops or laboratories involving experience with: a. Hot molten metals; b. Milling…

(a) For purposes of this section, classroom instructional support means all elements of classroom instructional support as provided in the Foundation Program, with the exception of textbook funds, as specified in Sections 16-6B-10 and 16-13-231, including, but not limited to, lib…