HB135 Alabama 2011 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Harry Shiver

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2011

Title

Schools, exercise and recreation facilities, joint use agreements between schools, local governments, and private entities, immunity from liability, legislative findings

Summary

HB135 would promote joint-use agreements for school recreation facilities with local governments and private entities and provide liability immunity to participating school districts under certain conditions.

What This Bill Does

It encourages public school districts to form joint-use agreements with local governments or private groups to share recreation facilities. It provides liability protections for school districts during the times specified in the joint-use agreements, with gross negligence as an exception, and requires participating entities to obtain liability insurance for incidents that occur during their use. The Department of Education would develop model language to help districts, and the bill outlines how facilities may be used (including as voting places) and when the measure takes effect (October 1, 2011).

Who It Affects

• Public K-12 school districts: would receive immunity from liability during the joint-use times, while retaining liability for injuries or damages during school hours or school-sponsored events.
• Local governments and private entities entering joint-use agreements: would be responsible for obtaining liability insurance covering injuries and property damage during their use times and would be liable for incidents that occur while they are using the facilities.

Key Provisions

• Encourages joint-use agreements between public school districts, local governments, and private entities for recreation and exercise facilities.
• Provides liability protection for participating school districts during the dates and times specified in joint-use agreements, with gross negligence as an exception.
• Requires participating local governments and private entities to secure liability insurance to cover property damage and personal injury during usage times; assigns liability to these entities during their use, while schools maintain liability during school hours or events.
• Allows use of educational facilities as voting places and directs local boards to adopt rules to protect facilities when used for such purposes; the Department of Education will create model language and post it for schools; the act has an Oct. 1, 2011 effective date and is exempt from certain constitutional funding restrictions due to its provisions.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Education