HB254 Alabama 2013 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Jim Barton

Republican

Co-Sponsors

Ed HenryDavid SessionsWes Long

Session

Regular Session 2013

Title

Common Core Standards, State Board of Education prohibited from adopting or implementing

Summary

HB254 would repeal the Common Core standards in Alabama, block adoption or implementation of them, tighten data privacy for students and teachers, and require a public process and legislative approval before any statewide standards are adopted.

What This Bill Does

The bill prevents the State Board of Education and the Department of Education from adopting or implementing the Common Core Standards and repeals related funding. It imposes strict limits on collecting and sharing data about students and teachers, allowing sharing only under specific conditions and with parental consent for uses beyond basic administration. It keeps Alabama in control of standards by barring outside-entity agreements and requires public hearings, a one-year input period, joint legislative hearings, and a majority vote of the Legislature before any statewide standards can be adopted. The act would take effect immediately after governor approval and includes severability.

Who It Affects

• Students and teachers would face tighter data privacy rules, with data sharing restricted to narrowly defined circumstances and require parental notice/consent for uses beyond evaluation.
• State education bodies and lawmakers (State Board of Education, Department of Education, and the Alabama Legislature) would lose authority to adopt or implement outside standards like Common Core, must maintain sole state control over standards, and must follow a public, legislatively approved process to establish any statewide standards.

Key Provisions

• Repeals adoption and funding of the Common Core State Standards Initiative and prohibits the State Board of Education from adopting and the Department of Education from implementing them; actions to adopt/implement are void from the outset.
• Beginning in the 2012-2013 fiscal year, bans on spending funds to expand or create statewide data systems (SLDS) that track students beyond basic administrative needs and prohibitions on sharing data with outside entities except under limited conditions.
• Data sharing with the United States Department of Education is allowed only if: required by a federal grant; the DOE uses data only to evaluate the funded program; there is written consent for any uses beyond evaluation; the DOE destroys the data after evaluation; and the grant/program is properly authorized by statute or rule.
• If federal requirements demand data sharing under other conditions, the recipient must notify parents in writing and provide disclosures about control and data use, including contact information for the DOE official demanding the data.
• Sharing data with testing consortia is allowed only in nonidentifiable form and limited to information directly related to testing (e.g., grade level, test scores).
• The State of Alabama retains sole control over the development and revision of school standards; SBOE cannot enter agreements or join consortia that cede control to outside entities, and statewide standards may be adopted only after public hearings in each Congressional District, a one-year open comment period, joint hearings before relevant Senate and House committees, and a majority vote of the Alabama Legislature.
• The provisions are severable, and the act becomes effective immediately upon passage and approval.

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