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Advocacy Update
Recap of the 2025 Legislative Session and a Look Ahead
Whitney Miller-Nichols, CLAS Director of Governmental Relations
Every school year brings with it new programs and regulations as a result of legislative action, and the 2025-26 school year is no different. This school year will see several recent laws implemented in Alabama’s public schools:
FOCUS Act (HB166/Act 2025-386): School systems will have to implement a wireless communication device policy that complies with the FOCUS Act, starting with the 2025-26 school year. Access the ALSDE FOCUS Act memo here. Each school’s principal is responsible for ensuring consistent compliance with the FOCUS Act and local board policy.
FOCUS ACT Elements
The school system must prohibit student wireless communication device usage during school hours, with some exceptions (lines 29-69).
Each local board of education must adopt a policy implementing this ban by July 1, 2025. The policy must include consequences for violation of the ban, and it should incorporate guidelines for the exceptions allowed by law (lines 70-76).
By July 1, 2025, each local board of education must adopt an internet safety policy to govern student internet use on devices owned by the system. There are certain regulations that must be included in the policy, including protections for students using direct electronic communication like chat rooms or messaging tools (lines 77-99).
By June 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, each public school’s certificated faculty must complete a survey assessing the school’s implementation of the ban policy. ALSDE must develop this survey by October 1, 2025 (lines 100-112).
By July 1, 2025, ALSDE must develop an asynchronous web-based course to be delivered to students before they enter eighth grade. The course must be available for students in grades 8-12 to take (lines 116-146). Instructions for accessing the course are available in the ALSDE FOCUS Act memo.
Bills of Interest
Paid Parental Leave (SB199/Act 2025-81): Starting July 1, 2025, eligible employees of a school system or state agency receive up to eight weeks of paid parental leave in a year. View this ALSDE memo for more details.
Principal Act changes (SB303/Act 2025-286): While the Principal Act stipends for the 2025-2026 school year are funded, legislators this year changed criteria for school leaders to receive the Principal Act additional stipend going forward. Only schools that satisfy one or more of the following criteria are eligible for the additional stipend:
A school free/reduced lunch rate of 75% or more, determined through direct certification
Comprehensive Support and Improvement school status
D or F on the school report card
Literacy/Numeracy Act full support schools
Look for an ALSDE memo about the 2025-26 school year Principal Act additional stipend at the end of the 2025 calendar year. Direct any questions about Principal Act stipends to principalact@alsde.edu.
RAISE Act (SB305/Act 2025-257): The RAISE Act establishes a student-weighted funding initiative that allocates dollars to a system based on the number of students in specific categories. The category weights identified in the ETF budget bill are:
This funding will begin October 1 in the 2025-26 school year (FY2026).
The budget chairs shifted $58M from the ETF for the RAISE Program Fund, plus added $108M via the Educational Opportunities Reserve Fund for FY2026. Four ETF line items were reduced or removed to consolidate funds into the RAISE Program.
ELL reduced by $16.5M and shifted to RAISE Program. $2M for Regional EL specialists will remain in the ELL line item.
Local Boards At-Risk Student Program reduced by $21.2M and shifted to RAISE Program (line zeroed out)
ALSDE Local School and School System Academic Financial Improvement Program (At-Risk) reduced by $9.2M and shifted to RAISE Program. $5.5M remains in the line item for ALSDE-administered programs.
Gifted Students Program reduced by $10.9M and shifted to RAISE Program. $1.4M remains in the line item for the Gifted Students Grant Program.
Secondary student enrollment options:
SB196/Act 2025-412 (Orr) permits high school juniors and seniors to enroll full-time at a college or university and take all credits needed for high school graduation as a dual enrollment/dual credit student, with the student’s high school awarding the student’s high school diploma. The law prohibits the student from taking any classes or participating in extracurricular activities at his/her high school campus once he/she begins the program. The law also establishes the Move on When Ready Fund in the State Treasury administered by the executive director of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education to pay the eligible institutions the lesser of either the actual cost of tuition, materials, and fees for the participating student’s costs at the institution; or the state K-12 per-pupil cost if the student was enrolled at the LEA. Students will be prohibited from receiving any additional financial aid for their full-time study at an ACCS institution while participating in the program. The school/LEA will not receive any state funding for the student in Year 2 of his/her participation. ALSDE is required to collaborate with ACCS and ACHE on a report to show the impact of the program, including student enrollment. Effective 10/1/2025.
HB102/Act 2025-66 (Ross) requires a school system to allow students to enroll in any dual enrollment course at an ACCS site or university if that course is on the ALSDE dual credit list. The school must award high school credit if the student passes courses on the approved dual credit list. The school and the postsecondary institution must engage the student in course advising and mutually agree that the student is approved to take the identified courses. The 2024 course equivalency list can be viewed here. Read ALSDE guidance about the RAISE Act here. Effective 8/1/2025.
HB266/Act 2025-326 (Woods) codifies in law and modifies the current Non-Traditional High School Diploma Option so that 18-year-olds will be eligible to withdraw from high school and enroll in ACCS’s Adult Education program to complete a traditional high school diploma with ACCS. Participating students do not count against their high school’s dropout rate. Effective 6/1/2025.
Blue card changes for military students (SB59/ Act 2025-47). Parents of military dependents can now present military vaccination records in place of Alabama immunization cards for school enrollment.
Updated AED placement requirements (HB416/Act 2025-347): Schools are now required to have an AED at athletic venues and athletic practice facilities when they are in use. Legislation in 2024 requires a cardiac arrest plan to be in place at every public and private K-12 school and also updated the health curriculum for public secondary schools to require AED training and hands-on CPR instruction (Act 2024-392, Act 2024-114).
Implementing Legislation as School Leaders
Once a bill is signed into law by the Governor, it becomes the responsibility of the local superintendent and board of education to review the legislation to align board policy and the student code of conduct accordingly.
However, we know that policy alone is not enough. Without clear procedures, policies often fall short in practice. Ideally, district leadership will assemble a team to develop implementation procedures, provide guidance for educators, and design a training plan for all staff responsible for enacting the changes at the school level.
Consistency is essential. All stakeholders must operate from a shared understanding of key terms and processes, and those must be applied uniformly across the district.
School leaders also play a critical role in communicating expectations to students and families. Research shows that people need to hear a message multiple times—typically between two and seven—before it sticks. In a world of competing communication channels, relying on a single method isn’t enough. School and district leaders should work together to create a multi-pronged communication plan to ensure families and staff are fully informed of all changes.
Advocacy for School Leaders
Over the next few months, take time to connect with your state legislators (find their info here). If they don’t already know you, introduce yourself and let them know which school and system you represent. Check in every few weeks with updates—both successes and challenges. You
know your school best, and legislators need to see you as a trusted source for education insight.
When legislators understand the real needs in their schools—and know those ETF budget requests represent students, not just numbers—they’re in a stronger position to advocate for funding.
My role is to be the first, but not the only, voice legislators hear on education issues. For that voice to carry weight, it needs your support. Every CLAS member should be engaging with lawmakers about what’s best for students. Our advocacy team can provide legislators issue briefs and talking points, but only you can explain what a bill means for the students in the legislator’s district. If questions come up that you can’t answer, send them my way—I’m here to support you, too. Whether you need more information or have ideas for legislation, I’m just a call or email away.
CLAS will host Advocacy Days during the legislative session for each affiliate at our office in Montgomery. You’ll get a morning briefing, then we’ll head to the State House to attend committee meetings and speak with legislators. We’ll regroup afterward over lunch to share what you heard and plan what we need to do next. These days are also a chance to give feedback to the CLAS team on how proposed laws could affect your schools.
As a former teacher, I know it’s tough to leave campus— but showing up in person makes a lasting impact. Your voice matters.
What didn’t pass?
Lots of bills did not pass this session! Some of these bills have already been pre-filed for the 2026 session.
Requiring the AHSAA to change how it counts students based on a student’s EL status
Banning drag shows in public libraries and public school libraries
Criminalizing library books
Posting the Ten Commandments in the classroom
Requiring the Pledge of Allegiance and prayer over the PA system every day
Requiring schools to install panic alert button systems
Creating a high school NIL framework
Requiring local boards to adopt a policy allowing release time for religious instruction
View the status of all legislation CLAS tracked in 2025 here
