SB141 Alabama 2011 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Cam Ward

Republican

Co-Sponsors

Jerry L. FieldingBryan TaylorGerald O. DialPhillip W. WilliamsDick BrewbakerGreg J. ReedScott BeasonJ.T. WaggonerTom Whatley

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

The bill would promote joint-use agreements for school recreation facilities with local governments or private groups and shield participating school districts from certain liability.

What This Bill Does

It encourages public school districts to enter joint-use agreements with local governments or private entities for shared use of recreation facilities. It would provide immunity from liability for participating school districts during the jointly used times, while requiring the other parties to carry liability insurance and be liable for injuries or damages during their use; schools would retain liability during school hours and school-sponsored events. It also establishes definitions, model language for agreements, and allows schools to serve as voting sites with protective rules for facility use.

Who It Affects

• Public K-12 school districts and schools: receive liability immunity when participating in joint-use agreements; must consider liability coverage and manage liability during non-school-use times.
• Local governments and private entities: encouraged or eligible to form joint-use agreements; responsible for securing liability insurance and liable for injuries/damages during their use periods; not liable during school hours or school-sponsored events per the bill's framework.
• Community members and students: gain greater access to recreation and exercise facilities located on school campuses outside traditional school hours.

Key Provisions

• Encourages joint use agreements between public school districts, local governments, and private entities for recreation and exercise facilities.
• Provides liability immunity for participating school districts during the times specified in joint-use agreements; requires insured coverage by other parties and assigns liability during use periods; schools maintain liability during school hours or school-related events.
• Defines joint use agreements and directs the Department of Education to develop and post model language for such agreements.
• Allows using educational facilities as voting places and requires local school boards to adopt rules to protect facilities when used for elections.
• Notes that, although the bill involves local fund expenditures, it is exempt from certain Amendment 621 voting requirements because expenditures are limited to school boards.
• Effective date: October 1, 2011.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 25, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Education