Title 16 — Title 16

Operation of This Section. Every public school and private school, except church schools as defined in Section 16-28-1, shall carry out a system of physical education, the character of which shall conform to the program or course outlined by the Department of Education. History: …

School Diploma Importance, and Study Skills; New Required Courses Not Established. (a) Each local board of education shall require, in accordance with rules and regulations of the State Board of Education, that students in grades seven to 12, inclusive, receive instruction in par…

Component. (a) Beginning in the 2018-2019 school year, as a required component for completing the government course required in the high school course of study, a student shall correctly answer at least 60 of the 100 questions listed on a civics test, which shall be made availabl…

(a) Each local board of education may offer instruction in yoga to students in grades K-12, subject to the following: (1) Instruction in yoga shall be an elective activity. Students shall have the option to opt out in favor of alternative activities, which shall be made available…

(a) Beginning with public school students entering ninth grade in the 2024-2025 school year, each student shall complete a course in personal financial literacy and money management before graduation from high school. This instruction shall include discussion of or instruction in…

Entering the Eighth Grade. (a) No later than July 1, 2025, the State Department of Education shall develop and approve an asynchronous, digitally delivered course that addresses the risks of using social media and how to use social media safely. (b) At a minimum, the course shall…

(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) BOARD. The State Board of Education. (2) SUCCESS SEQUENCE. A three-pronged framework for youths and young adults based on research from diverse institutions that individuals who complete at lea…

No later than the 2027-2028 school year, each local board of education shall adopt a screen time policy that provides guidance on the appropriate use of screen-based media in kindergarten classrooms. The policy shall: (1) Meet the requirements of Article 4, Chapter 24 of Title 26…

Religious History. (a) A public school may offer elective courses in the objective study of the Bible and religious history in grades six to 12, inclusive, as follows: (1) A social studies course on the Hebrew Scriptures of the Old Testament of the Bible. (2) A social studies cou…

and Texts. (a) Elective courses offered pursuant to this article shall be designed to do all of the following: (1) Teach students about Bible characters, poetry, and narratives that are useful for understanding history and contemporary society and culture, including art, music, s…

No teacher shall be required to teach any course under this article and, any provision of the law to the contrary notwithstanding, no teacher shall be subject to any retaliation for declining to teach such a course, including, but not limited to, non-renewal of contract, terminat…

The Attorney General shall defend any litigation filed against any local board of education in the state or any officer, employee, or agent thereof based upon the board’s actions in implementing this article without cost to the local board of education. Should any local board of …

(a) The State Department of Education shall develop and award a State Seal of Biliteracy to those high school students who have demonstrated an indicated level of proficiency in English and at least one other world language, including American Sign Language. School district parti…

The State Seal of Biliteracy certifies attainment of an intermediate level of proficiency by a graduating student in English and at least one other world language, and certifies that the graduate meets all of the following criteria: (1) Completion of the graduation requirements o…

The State Department of Education shall do both of the following: (1) Prepare and deliver to participating school districts an appropriate insignia to be affixed to the diploma or transcript of the student indicating that the student has been awarded a State Seal of Biliteracy by…

A school district that participates in the program under this article shall do both of the following: (1) Maintain appropriate records in order to identify students who have earned a State Seal of Biliteracy. (2) Affix the appropriate insignia to the diploma and transcript of eac…

It is the intent of the Legislature that no fee be charged to a student to participate in the State Seal of Biliteracy pursuant to this article. History: (Act 2022-200, §5.)

For the purposes of this article, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) BOARD. The State Board of Education. (2) DEPARTMENT. The State Department of Education. (3) EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAM. Any state-approved program that prepares an individual for certificatio…

(a) All reading instructional materials approved for use in Alabama schools, whether through the textbook law or a local textbook review process as provided in Chapter 36, the Alabama Literacy Act as provided in Chapter 6G, or other vetting or selection process, shall use structu…

(a)(1) A local board of education shall not use instructional materials as defined in this article for students in any grade kindergarten through 12 which use either of the following: a. The three-cueing system model of teaching students to read. b. Visual memory for teaching wor…

(a) Each local board of education that operates a public school with grades nine through 12 shall include instruction in both of the following as a requirement within existing health education courses: (1) Techniques of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). (2) Beginning with the …

(a)(1) The Legislature recognizes that Erin Merryn was raped and molested for six and a half years by a neighbor and a family member. She began a crusade her senior year of high school in 2004 to end the silence and shame around sexual abuse. Erin’s Law has been adopted in a numb…