AL ABAMA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
The
U LSE
FEBRUARY 27, 2026
THE RUNDOWN
The Alabama Legislature reconvened on Tuesday, February 24, for the 15th legislative day of the Regular Session. Lawmakers met three days this week in both floor sessions and committee meetings. The pace is accelerating as legislators work to complete the 30 allotted legislative days and allow time to return to their districts for campaign activities. With 17 legislative days now completed, 13 remain in the 2025 Regular Session.
MOVING THIS WEEK
HB8, by Rep. Mark Gidley, allows local boards to approve volunteer campus chaplains for educators at their request. HB8 passed the House on Tuesday and can now be taken up by the Senate.
HB2, by Rep. David Standridge, renames the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America for state and local use and requires public entities, including public schools, to reflect the name change in new materials while allowing historical use of the former name for instructional purposes. HB2 passed the House on Tuesday and can now be taken up by the Senate.
SB149, by Sen. Matt Woods, and HB306, by Rep. Rick Rehm, create a temporary teaching certificate for military veterans who have at least 48 months of honorable active-duty service, 60 college credit hours with a minimum 2.5 GPA, a passing Praxis content exam score, a background check, and a recommendation from a local superintendent or private school administrator. HB306 passed the House on Tuesday and can now be taken up by the Senate. SB149 passed the House and has been sent to the governor to sign into law.
SB201 , by Sen. Sam Givhan, requires local school systems to provide access to JROTC programs to homeschool and private school students who are dependents of active-duty military parents relocating under orders and who reside within the system’s attendance zone, subject to existing eligibility requirements. An amendment was added requiring the students to enroll in public schools as non-traditional students. SB201 passed the Senate on Tuesday and can now be taken up by the House.
SB305, by Sen. Rodger Smitherman, allows local boards of education and public charter school governing bodies to vote on whether to permit volunteer campus chaplains in their schools, requires chaplains to complete recognized training and background checks, and prohibits individuals required to register as sex offenders from serving. SB305 passed the Senate on Tuesday and can now be taken up by the House.
MOVING THIS WEEK (CONTINUED)
SB168 , by Sen. Donnie Chesteen, prohibits public K-12 schools and educator preparation programs from using the three-cueing system or visual memory to teach reading. It also requires reading instruction and materials to be based on structured literacy and the science of reading. SB168 passed the House on Thursday and is being sent to the governor for signature into law.
HB78 , by Rep. Jeana Ross, requires the Department of Early Childhood Education, in collaboration with the Department of Human Resources and the State Department of Education, to establish screen time guidelines. The guidelines prohibit any screen time for children under the age of 2, limit screen time for older children to age-appropriate amounts, and require active supervision while banning background and passive screen use. Licensed childcare facilities, prekindergarten programs, and public kindergarten classrooms must implement these limits through licensure oversight or local board policy. HB78 passed the Senate on Thursday and is being sent to the governor for signature into law.
HB189, by Rep. Alan Baker, requires juvenile courts to provide written notice to a local superintendent or private school principal when an enrolled student is charged with, or adjudicated delinquent for, specified serious offenses. The bill also authorizes such notice for other delinquent acts that would be crimes if committed by an adult. HB189 received a favorable report in the Senate Judiciary Committee and can now be considered by the entire Senate.
HB124, by Rep. Terri Collins, renames the Alabama Math and Science Teacher Education Program and expands loan assistance eligibility to educators in acute shortage programs and locations as determined by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education in consultation with the State Department of Education and the Alabama Commission on the Evaluation of Services. HB124 received a favorable report in the Senate Finance & Taxation Education Committee and can now be considered by the entire Senate.
HB178 , by Rep. Danny Garrett, authorizes two or more adjoining city boards of education to form a consolidated school district and requires the State Board of Education to adopt rules for implementation. HB178 received a favorable report in the Senate Finance & Taxation Education Committee and can now be considered by the entire Senate.
HB329, by Rep. David Faulkner, requires Alabama public school students to complete an approved computer science course for high school graduation, beginning with the class of 2032, and expands state law to define computer science content standards and allowable course credit substitutions. HB329 received a favorable report in the Senate Education Policy Committee and can now be considered by the entire Senate.
SB5, by Sen. Gerald Allen, proposes a constitutional amendment requiring weekly performances of the first stanza of the national anthem in public schools. SB5 received a favorable report in the Senate Education Policy Committee and can now be considered by the entire Senate.
HB43, by Rep. Reed Ingram, proposes a constitutional amendment requiring daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools. HB43 was carried over in the House Education Policy Committee.
MOVING THIS WEEK
HB75, by Rep. Chad Robertson, requires public high schools to excuse students from class and provide reasonable accommodations for participation in National Signing Day activities related to athletic scholarships, postsecondary commitments, apprenticeships, or military enlistments. HB75 received a favorable report in the House Education Policy Committee and can now be considered by the entire Senate.
HB396, by Rep. Terri Collins, revises the A-F school grading system by changing how grades are calculated for schools with and without 12th grade, increasing the weight of college and career readiness measures, requiring workforce outcome tracking after graduation, and creating a standing Accountability Council to review and recommend changes to the state accountability system. HB396 was carried over in the House Education Policy Committee.
INTRODUCED THIS WEEK
HB495, by Rep. Jamie Kiel, excludes the academic achievement of students who transfer from a failing school from being included in a school or district A-F grade calculation for the first three years after enrollment, while continuing to measure those students in the academic growth category until their fourth year.
HB511 , by Rep. Reed Ingram, proposes a constitutional amendment requiring each local board of education to adopt a policy for daily recitation of The Pledge of Allegiance, to vote on whether to allow voluntary daily prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious text with written consent, and to authorize the withholding of 25 percent of state funding from local boards that fail to comply.
HB517, by Rep. James Lomax, creates the Talent Readiness and Industry Needs Act to allow businesses to loan qualified employees to teach designated high demand career and technical education programs at public high schools, local education agencies, and Alabama community colleges, establishes a workforce teaching certificate with streamlined certification and training requirements, and provides employers with a capped state tax credit for the portion of salary paid during the teaching assignment.
HB520, by Rep. Marcus Paramore, requires the State Board of Education to create an expedited certification pathway for individuals who previously taught career and technical education courses in another state, allowing eligible applicants who meet specified experience, degree, background check, and recommendation requirements to receive an Alabama CTE teaching certificate without additional testing or coursework.
SB331 , by Sen. Keith Kelley, prohibits classroom instruction or discussion related to sexual orientation or gender identity in public prekindergarten through twelfth grade schools, prohibits public preK-12 employees from displaying flags or insignia relating to sexual orientation or gender identity on school property, and prohibits employees from addressing students by pronouns inconsistent with the student’s biological sex at birth.
Thus far, 864 bills have been introduced by the Legislature. AEA staff continues to read each bill and monitors them daily to ensure they will positively affect public education.
Remember, while you’re busy serving our state’s students, we’ve got your back in the Alabama Legislature!