HB439 Alabama 2021 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Prince ChestnutRepresentative

Democrat

Session

Regular Session 2021

Title

Education, life skills instruction may be offered by local bds of education as an elective or component of health education and physical education in grades 6-12, Sec. 16-40-11 added.

Summary

HB439 would let local school boards offer a life skills course on personal finance, personal rights, and good citizenship for grades 6-12 as an elective or part of health/PE, with state rules to guide implementation.

What This Bill Does

It authorizes local boards of education to offer life skills instruction in grades 6-12 as an elective or as part of health and physical education, starting with the 2021-2022 school year. The curriculum would cover personal finance literacy, personal rights, and good citizenship, with detailed topics such as budgeting, investments, credit, election laws, voter registration, the U.S. Constitution, and interactions with law enforcement. The State Board of Education would adopt rules and policies to implement the program and ensure the elective meets the same academic rigor as other electives.

Who It Affects

• Students in grades 6-12 who may take the new life skills course as an elective or as part of health/PE.
• Local boards of education and their schools would decide whether to offer the course and how to implement it, under state rules.

Key Provisions

• Adds new Section 16-40-11 allowing local boards to offer life skills instruction in grades 6-12 as an elective or as a component of health education and physical education, beginning in the 2021-2022 school year.
• Life skills curriculum includes three categories: (a) personal finance literacy (savings, investments, credit, budgeting, insurance, real estate, etc.), (b) personal rights (election laws, voter registration, election process, Constitution), (c) good citizenship (honesty, respect for authority, interactions with law enforcement, and youth violence prevention).
• State Board of Education must adopt rules and policies to implement the section, including requiring curriculum standards to meet the academic rigor of other approved electives.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Education