Title 16 — Title 16

For purposes of this title, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section: (1) SCHOLASTIC DAY. Shall not be less than six hours of actual teaching, exclusive of all recesses or intermission periods unless otherwise ordered b…

School Premises. Any person, firm, corporation or association that knowingly sells, gives or dispenses any alcoholic beverage to any school student under the age of 18 years, or keeps or has in possession any alcoholic beverage in or on the campus or premises of any school buildi…

All private schools or institutions of any kind having a school in connection therewith, except church schools as defined in Section 16-28-1, shall register annually on or before October 10 with the Department of Education and shall report on uniform blanks furnished by the Depar…

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (1) That a parent or guardian in Alabama has a constitutional right to choose the type of K-12 education that is best for his or her child, whether public or nonpublic, religious or nonreligious, and including home-based ed…

Exemption from Licensure or Regulation. (a) A parent or guardian shall have the right to select the type school or method of his or her choice for the K-12 education of his or her child, whether public or nonpublic, religious or nonreligious, and including home-based education. (…

Requirements. Each nonpublic school, including private, church, parochial, and religious schools, offering educational instruction in grades K-12, as well as home-schooling entities, shall comply with the requirements of Chapter 28 of this title, relating to school attendance; Ch…

Education. Any provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding, no public two-year or four-year institution of higher education in the state may deny admission to or otherwise discriminate against an otherwise qualified student based on the consideration, whether in whole or in …

Any provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding, the State Department of Education’s requirements for teacher certification and recertification shall be the same for any person who teaches in a public school or a nonpublic school, whether accredited or not, and without regar…

Association. All nonpublic schools which choose to become members of the Alabama High School Athletic Association shall be in compliance with the constitution and bylaws established by Alabama High School Athletic Association member schools. History: (Act 2014-245, p. 785, §8.)

Whenever any city, county or other local school board determines it to be in the best interest of the public school pupils of the local school system, it may prescribe and from time to time adjust and adapt and further prescribe the manner, method and procedure to be employed in …

Facing Long-Term Suspension or Expulsion for Violating Student Code of Conduct or State Law. (a) As used in this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) EXPULSION. The exclusion of a student from his or her regular school environment for more than 90, and le…

Attitudes, Etc. For the purpose of preventing or minimizing disciplinary problems, the local school board may classify and group pupils upon consideration of their social attitudes, their amenability to discipline, their hostility toward the school environment and their health, m…

Pupils. A local board of education may in its discretion prescribe special courses in citizenship, health, morals or any other subject it may consider necessary to meet the needs of special groups of pupils and may prescribe individual tutoring, counseling or group instruction an…

(a) The Legislature finds that there is at present a need in Alabama to coordinate, at the state and local level, the efforts of existing providers of services supporting early childhood development and family involvement in education. (b) There is hereby established the Alabama …

Any and all elections held for the purpose of determining whether a tax shall be levied in the county or in a school district of the county for public school purposes or determining whether or not school districts should be consolidated or whether or not a school district should …

(a) When used in this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) EMPLOYEE. Any individual employed full-time as provided by law, or employed as an adult bus driver, by those employers enumerated in this section. (2) EMPLOYER. All public city and county boards o…

(a) Payment to beneficiary or estate for unused sick leave. Any provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding, when an active and contributing member of the Teachers’ Retirement System dies while in service, the beneficiary or estate of the deceased member shall receive a mone…

Parent or Guardian Registered to Vote in State and Employed by Congressman or in Executive Branch of Federal Government on Appointment by President. Any law or any rule or regulation to the contrary notwithstanding, for the purposes of paying tuition or fees at any college, unive…

Completed Construction; Forms for Construction Contracts. In order to eliminate the causes of school fires and other conditions which jeopardize the health and safety of school children: (1) The county or city superintendent of education shall notify the State Superintendent of E…

(a) Commencing on July 1, 2010, any new contract awarded for the construction of a new public school, unless the school has an Alabama Building Commission approved safe space or hallway, shall include an Alabama Building Commission approved safe space or hallway. (b) The State De…

Higher Education to Include Approved Safe Space or Hallway. (a) Commencing on August 1, 2012, any new contract awarded for the construction of a new building, containing classrooms or dorm rooms, on the grounds of a public two-year or four-year institution of higher education sha…

Sports Stadiums. (a) This section applies to all of the following: (1) Any existing public or private high school sports stadium for which otherwise applicable state or local building or plumbing codes or state or local laws or regulations would require a change in the amount of …

Improvement Projects; Transfer of Powers, Authority, and Jurisdiction. (a) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the governing board of each educational institution or state educational institution, as defined in Section 41-4-400(d), may on behalf of the State of …

The State Department of Education; an educational institution or a state educational institution, as defined in Section 41-4-400(d); a K-12 school; or a four- year public institution of higher education may contract with the Division of Construction Management within the Departme…

(a) The amendatory language of Act 2022-367 as it amends Sections 16-1-2.4, 16- 1-2.5, and 41-4-400, shall not apply to any construction, repair, maintenance, or renovation project at a K-12 school or a public institution of higher education for which a contract has been awarded …

Schools. At the commencement of the first class each day in the first through the sixth grades in all public schools, the teacher in charge of the room in which each such class is held shall announce that a period of silence, not to exceed one minute in duration, shall be observe…

Repealed by Act 98-381, p. 715, § 2, effective April 27, 1998. History: (Acts 1981, No. 81-357, p. 523.)

From henceforth, any teacher or professor in any public educational institution within the State of Alabama, recognizing that the Lord God is one, at the beginning of any homeroom or any class, may pray, may lead willing students in prayer, or may lead the willing students in the…

(a) The legislative intent and purpose for this section is to protect the freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article 1, Section 4 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to define for the citizens of Alabama the rights and pr…

(a) The Legislature of Alabama finds that in the hectic society of today all too few citizens are able to experience even a moment of quiet reflection before plunging headlong into the activities of daily life. Young citizens are particularly affected by the absence of an opportu…

(a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the “Alabama Student Religious Liberties Act of 2015.” (b) A public local board of education may not discriminate against students or parents on the basis of a religious viewpoint or religious expression. A local board of educat…

(Amended by 2026-376) [Effective until July 1, 2026.] AMENDED BY ACT 2026-376, EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2026. SEE ACT FOR REVISED LANGUAGE. (a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the Alabama Released Time Credit Act. (b) The Legislature finds and declares all of the followi…

Section Permissive Only. (a) All local boards of education, throughout the state, now existing or hereinafter established, are hereby authorized to pay employees for suggestions which result in a saving of funds for that particular board of education. Such expenditures are to be …

The Department of Examiners of Public Accounts is hereby authorized and empowered to audit the records of the Marion Military Institute, the Lyman Ward Military Academy, the Talladega College, the Walker County Junior College, the Tuskegee University, the Sylacauga Nurses Trainin…

(a) Hazing is defined as follows: (1) Any willful action taken or situation created, whether on or off any school, college, university, or other educational premises, which recklessly or intentionally endangers the mental or physical health of any student, or (2) Any willful act …

School Personnel; Legislative Intent; Penalties. (a) For purposes of this section, the following words and phrases shall have the following respective meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise: (1) INCIDENT. Any act of physical violence, with or without a weapon, t…

Treatment of Policy Violators; Promulgation and Distribution of Discipline Policy; Liability Limited for Discipline Actions; Local Boards May Adopt More Stringent Guidelines. [Effective until July 1, 2026.] AMENDED BY ACT 2026-367, EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2026. SEE ACT FOR REVISED LANG…

Program. (a) For purposes of this section, the following words and terms shall have the following meanings: (1) GUIDANCE COUNSELING PROCEDURES. Procedures providing planned, sequential activities and services designed to help all students develop skills in the areas of personal a…

Students Who Possess Firearms in School Areas. (a) All city and county boards of education shall develop and implement local policies and procedures requiring the expulsion of students, for a period of one year, who are determined to have brought to school or have in their posses…

by Military Recruiters of U.s. Armed Forces and Department of Homeland Security. [Effective until October 1, 2026.] AMENDED BY ACT 2026-582, EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1, 2026. SEE ACT FOR REVISED LANGUAGE. All city and county public school systems and all public institutions of higher ed…

(a) A public school district or any employee of a public school district shall grant all professional educators’ associations the same level of access to employees of the public school district. No professional educators’ association shall have a level of access to employees of t…

(a) Members of local boards of education may receive reasonable compensation for their services, not to exceed nine hundred dollars ($900) per month, unless set at a higher figure by a local act, upon approval by a majority vote of the members at the board’s annual meeting. Compe…

(Repealed by Act 2025-386) THIS SECTION WAS REPEALED BY ACT 2025-386, EFFECTIVE MAY 14, 2025. History: (Acts 1989, No. 89-953, p. 1880, §1; Act 2006-530, p. 1224, §1; Act 2025- 386, §7.)

Activities Prohibited by Sodomy and Sexual Misconduct Laws. (a) No public funds or public facilities shall be used by any college or university to, directly or indirectly, sanction, recognize, or support the activities or existence of any organization or group that fosters or pro…

Effect. The State Superintendent of Education and each of the several city and county superintendents of education may cause any records, documents, books, papers or writing made, acquired or received as required by law to be photographed or microphotographed, on plate or film. S…

Education. (a) Definitions. When used in this section, the following words shall have the following meanings: (1) LOCAL BOARD OF EDUCATION or BOARD OF EDUCATION. Any city or county board of education; the Board of Trustees of the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind; the Alabama …

Programs. (a) Each public local board of education may provide that a high school student who participates in YMCA Youth and Government programs may earn elective course credit for participation providing that Section 16-28-5, which requires 140 days of instruction by a certified…

(a) The board of trustees or any other governing body of a public institution of higher education as defined in Section 16-5-1 may establish a program which provides students enrolled at the institution with debit cards issued by the institution. This specific authority shall exi…

(a) When used in this section, the following words shall have the following meanings: (1) BOARD. All public city and county boards of education, the Board of Trustees of the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, the Alabama Youth Services Department District Board in its capacity…

Public School System. A two-year college president under the jurisdiction of the Department of Postsecondary Education and the State Board of Education and the State Board of Medical Examiners may donate surplus personal property of the institution to a local city board of educat…