AL
Alabama House Bill HB61

Alabama 2025 Regular Session

Alabama House Bill HB61 Compare Versions

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55 By Representative DuBose
66 RFD: Ways and Means Education
77 First Read: 04-Feb-25
88 PFD: 07-Nov-24
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14-6 HB61 Engrossed
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1616 PFD: 07-Nov-24
17-A BILL
18-TO BE ENTITLED
19-AN ACT
20-Relating to public K-12 education; to authorize home
21-school students to participate in certain career and technical
22-education programs at K-12 public schools; to provide
23-exemptions for full-time career and technical education
24-schools; and to require the State Board of Education and local
25-boards of education to adopt appropriate rules and policies.
26-BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
27-Section 1. (a) For the purposes of this section, the
28-following terms have the following meanings:
29-(1) CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION or CTE. An area of
30-study that blends academic, occupational, and life skills
31-leading to a credential, employment, or further education.
32-(2) HOME SCHOOL STUDENT. A student who is instructed by
33-a private tutor pursuant to Section 16-28-5, Code of Alabama
34-1975, or who is taught at home and is enrolled in a private
35-school or a church school as defined in Section 16-28-1, Code
36-of Alabama 1975.
37-(3) STATE BOARD. The State Board of Education.
38-(b) Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, a home
39-school student may participate in any career and technical
17+SYNOPSIS:
18+Under existing law, career and technical
19+education programs are available to students at
20+certain public schools.
21+Existing law does not authorize home school
22+students to participate in any class or program
23+offered by a public school.
24+This bill would authorize home school students
25+to participate in career and technical education
26+programs at public schools, except that full-time,
27+stand-alone career and technical education schools may
28+choose whether to opt in to home school student
29+participation.
30+This bill would provide conditions that a home
31+school student must meet in order to participate in a
32+career and technical education program.
33+This bill would require the State Board of
34+Education and each local board of education to adopt
35+rules relating to the participation of home school
36+students in career and technical education programs.
37+This bill would also amend the definition of
38+"qualifying educational expenses" for purposes of the
39+CHOOSE Act to include any course fees assessed to a
40+student participating in a career and technical
41+education program.
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71+education program.
72+A BILL
73+TO BE ENTITLED
74+AN ACT
75+Relating to public K-12 education; to amend Section 2
76+of Act 2024-21, 2024 Regular Session, now appearing as Section
77+16-6J-2, Code of Alabama 1975; to authorize home school
78+students to participate in certain career and technical
79+education programs at K-12 public schools; to provide
80+exemptions for full-time career and technical education
81+schools; to require the State Board of Education and local
82+boards of education to adopt rules; and to amend the
83+definition of "qualifying educational expenses" for purposes
84+of the CHOOSE Act to include certain fees relating to career
85+and technical education programs.
86+BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
87+Section 1. (a) For the purposes of this section, the
88+following terms have the following meanings:
89+(1) CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION or CTE. An area of
90+study that blends academic, occupational, and life skills
91+leading to a credential, employment, or further education.
92+(2) HOME SCHOOL STUDENT. A student who is instructed by
93+a private tutor pursuant to Section 16-28-5, Code of Alabama
94+1975, or who is taught at home and is enrolled in a private
95+school or a church school as defined in Section 16-28-1, Code
96+of Alabama 1975.
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126+of Alabama 1975.
127+(3) STATE BOARD. The State Board of Education.
128+(b) Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, a home
69129 school student may participate in any career and technical
70130 education program offered by a public school, provided that:
71131 (1) The home school student enrolls as a nontraditional
72132 public school student; and
73133 (2) The home school student pays any course fees in an
74134 amount equal to the fee charged to an enrolled public school
75135 student.
76136 (c) In the event that a CTE program has limited
77137 enrollment capacity, a home school student who wishes to
78138 enroll in the CTE program shall be considered for enrollment
79139 after current public school students are enrolled.
80140 (d)(1) The state board shall adopt rules to implement
81141 and administer this section.
82142 (2) Each local board of education shall adopt a policy
83143 reflecting the requirements of this section and rules adopted
84144 by the state board.
85145 (e) This act does not require any full-time,
86146 stand-alone career and technical education school to allow
87147 home school students to participate in its career and
88148 technical education programs. However, any full-time,
89149 stand-alone career and technical education school may choose
90150 to allow home school students to participate in its career and
91151 technical education programs pursuant to this section.
92-Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
93-1, 2025.
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119-1, 2025.
120-House of Representatives
121-Read for the first time and referred
122-to the House of Representatives
123-committee on Ways and Means
124-Education
125-................04-Feb-25
126-Read for the second time and placed
127-on the calendar:
128- 1 amendment
129-................05-Mar-25
130-Read for the third time and passed
131-as amended
132-Yeas 99
133-Nays 1
134-Abstains 2
135-................08-Apr-25
136-John Treadwell
137-Clerk
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152+Section 2. Section 2 of Act 2024-21, 2024 Regular
153+Session, now appearing as Section 16-6J-2, Code of Alabama
154+1975, is amended to read as follows:
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184+1975, is amended to read as follows:
185+"§16-6J-2
186+As used in this chapter, unless otherwise specified or
187+unless the context requires otherwise, the following terms
188+have the following meanings:
189+(1) ACADEMIC YEAR. The 12-month period beginning on
190+July 1 and ending on the following June 30.
191+(2) DEPARTMENT. The Alabama Department of Revenue.
192+(3) EDUCATION SAVINGS ACCOUNT or ESA. An account in
193+which funds are deposited by the department for the parent of
194+a participating student to pay qualifying expenses to an
195+education service provider.
196+(4) EDUCATION SERVICE PROVIDER. A school, including a
197+participating school, organization, vendor, or individual
198+other than the parent of the eligible student, approved by the
199+department to provide educational goods and services,
200+including goods and services designed for use by home school
201+students, to eligible students.
202+(5) ELIGIBLE STUDENT. A child aged 5 to 19 years of age
203+who resides in this state and who has not graduated high
204+school or a child aged 5 to 21 years of age who resides in
205+this state and qualifies for services under the Individuals
206+with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1975 or Section 504
207+of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794. The term
208+does not include :
209+a. Aa student receiving scholarship funds or a tax
210+credit under the Alabama Accountability Act of 2013, Chapter
211+6D;. The term does not include
212+b. Aa child who is enrolled in a private school as
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242+b. Aa child who is enrolled in a private school as
243+defined in Section 16-28-1 that is not a participating
244+school.; or The term does not include
245+c. Aa child who is not lawfully present in the United
246+States.
247+(6) PARENT. A resident of this state who is the parent,
248+guardian, custodian, or other individual with authority to act
249+on behalf of an eligible student. The term does not include an
250+individual who is not lawfully present in the United States.
251+(7) PARTICIPATING SCHOOL. A State of Alabama education
252+service provider that is an accredited public K-12 school or
253+an accredited private school, including a church, parochial,
254+or religious school, which provides education to K-12 students
255+and which is approved by the department. The school must be
256+accredited, or be in the process of obtaining accreditation ,
257+as determined by the department, by one of the six regional
258+accrediting agencies , or the National Council for Private
259+School Accreditation, Cognia, the American Association of
260+Christian Schools, the Alabama Christian Education
261+Association, the Alabama Independent School Association, or
262+one of their partner accrediting agencies.
263+(8) PARTICIPATING STUDENT. An eligible student who is
264+approved by the department to participate in the program and
265+receives services from an education service provider.
266+(9) PROGRAM. The Creating Hope and Opportunity for Our
267+Students' Education (CHOOSE) Act Tax Credit program
268+established by this chapter.
269+(10) QUALIFYING EDUCATIONAL EXPENSES. Expenses incurred
270+by a parent of an eligible student in one or more of the
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300+by a parent of an eligible student in one or more of the
301+following categories:
302+a. Tuition and fees at a participating school.
303+b. Textbooks.
304+c. Fees for after-school or summer education programs
305+provided by a participating school.
306+d. Private tutoring.
307+e. Curricula or instructional materials.
308+f. Tuition and fees for nonpublic online learning
309+programs.
310+g. Educational software and applications.
311+h. Fees for standardized and nationally recognized
312+assessments, including college admissions tests and advanced
313+placement examinations and related preparatory courses.
314+i. Education services for students with disabilities
315+from a licensed or accredited practitioner or education
316+service provider.
317+j. Contracted services provided by a public school
318+district including specific classroom instruction.
319+k. Any course fees or other costs assessed to a student
320+participating in a career and technical education program
321+pursuant to Section 1 of this act.
322+(11) RESIDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT. The public school
323+district in which an eligible student resides.
324+(12) SPECIAL-NEEDS STUDENT. A student who qualifies for
325+services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
326+(IDEA) of 1975 or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
327+1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794.
328+Section 3. This act shall become effective on October
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358+Section 3. This act shall become effective on October
359+1, 2025.169