SB72 Alabama 2015 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Dick Brewbaker

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2015

Title

Education, local boards of education, virtual schools, required to adopt policy providing virtual school option for eligible students in grades 9 to 12, duties to State Education Department, legislative task force to review

Summary

SB72 requires Alabama local boards of education to adopt policies offering a virtual high school option for eligible 9th–12th graders and sets up state support and oversight for such programs.

What This Bill Does

It requires each local board to adopt a policy by the 2016-2017 school year that provides a virtual education option for eligible 9th–12th graders, including how it works, who is eligible, how performance is monitored and tested, and attendance rules. Full-time virtual students will be counted in the local school's average daily membership, must participate in state testing, and can earn a diploma from their local district; they may participate in extracurricular activities and, if allowed to transfer between systems, will be treated like traditional students for those activities. The bill also relaxes some traditional school requirements to fit virtual delivery, allows boards to choose their own providers, and requires the Department of Education to support virtual learning with a content repository and the ACCESS program, while a legislative task force reviews ACCESS funding, structure, and curriculum for implementation.

Who It Affects

• Eligible students in grades 9–12 and their families: gain a virtual education option, can earn a local-district diploma, and participate in extracurricular activities under rules similar to traditional students.
• Local boards of education and school systems: must adopt and implement virtual-education policies, monitor student performance, determine eligibility, and coordinate with the state and ACCESS/online content resources.

Key Provisions

• Local boards must adopt a policy providing a virtual education option for eligible 9th–12th graders before the 2016-2017 school year; any virtual school operating in the state must comply with the act.
• Policy must detail scope/delivery, initial and ongoing eligibility, monitoring/testing protocols, and attendance requirements (if any).
• Boards may use their own providers and are not required to use a state program or vendor for virtual options.
• Full-time virtual students must be counted in average daily membership, participate in state testing, and graduate with a diploma from the local school system.
• Virtual students are treated as attending their local school for extracurricular activities and eligibility rules, including inter-system transfers and athletic participation, under applicable rules.
• Boards are exempt from certain general laws and administrative rules that conflict with virtual delivery (e.g., physical presence, staffing, transportation, facilities) to the extent of the conflict.
• Online course delivery not supported by the State Department of Education must be accredited by a recognized institution; coursework must align with the Alabama course of study.
• The Department of Education must provide a repository of quality virtual-content and maintain ACCESS for local systems at no local cost, including required courses to graduate.
• A legislative task force will review ACCESS funding, structure, and curriculum and guide implementation; it includes a diverse group of education leaders and must report by the 2016 Regular Session.
• The act repeals laws that conflict with its provisions and takes effect on the first day of the third month after passage.

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