SB224 Alabama 2015 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Quinton Ross

Democrat

Session

Regular Session 2015

Title

Education, authorize local boards of education to admit or readmit students under age 21 to twelth grade, Secs. 16-11-16, 16-28-3 am'd.

Summary

Allows Alabama public schools to admit or readmit students up to age 21 to graduate high school.

What This Bill Does

The bill lets city and county boards of education admit or readmit students under 21 for the purpose of completing a twelfth-grade year and graduating. It raises the eligible age for admission to high school to under 21 (while the mandatory attendance age remains 6–17), provided the student is under 21 at the start of the school year and has enough course credits to graduate by year’s end. It adds clarifications about online schooling, noting the bill does not create online schools but allows use of accredited online options without penalizing a student as a dropout, and it explains how transfers and grade placement would be handled. It also discusses the bill’s relation to Amendment 621 concerning local-funding requirements, indicating the measure would be funded by local districts under one of the amendment’s exceptions.

Who It Affects

• Public school students under 21 who want to graduate high school or complete a twelfth-grade year
• City and county boards of education that would gain authority to admit or readmit students under 21 for high school graduation

Key Provisions

• Authorizes city and county boards of education to admit or readmit students under age 21 to complete a twelfth-grade year for high school graduation
• Raises the age limit for public school admission to under 21 (while maintaining mandatory attendance age of 6–17) and requires sufficient course credits to graduate within the school year
• Modifies Sections 16-11-16 and 16-28-3 to implement the new admission/readmission provisions, including conditions on credits and year-start age
• Contains online-school provisions: the bill does not create online schools, but allows online options if accredited and state-authorized, without penalizing the student as a dropout
• Notes the bill involves local funding but is said to fall under Constitutional exceptions, allowing it to become law without a separate 2/3 vote of the legislature

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