HB506 Alabama 2022 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Mike Ball

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2022

Title

Education, virtual education, to expand option to include grades K-12, to allow a student to attend any Alabama public virtual school operating in the state, Secs. 16-46A-1, 16-46A-2, 16-46A-3 am'd.

Summary

Expands virtual education to include kindergarten through 12th grade and lets students attend any public Alabama virtual school in the state.

What This Bill Does

If passed, the bill requires local boards to offer virtual education for all grades K-12 starting in the 2022-2023 school year and allows students to enroll in any Alabama public virtual school. It sets rules for how full-time virtual students are counted for funding, testing, and graduation, and it ensures they can participate in extracurricular activities similarly to traditional students. It also provides exemptions and protections related to delivering virtual instruction, requires virtual coursework to follow the Alabama course of study, and directs the state to maintain a content repository and the ACCESS program for virtual learning.

Who It Affects

• Students in grades K-12 who choose virtual education and may attend any Alabama public virtual school operating in the state.
• Local boards of education and public school systems that must offer virtual options, determine eligibility, monitor performance, and award diplomas for virtual students.
• Public Alabama virtual schools that will enroll students from across the state under this framework.
• Parents/guardians who seek expanded virtual schooling options for their children.

Key Provisions

• Expands the virtual education option from grades nine-12 to grades kindergarten-12, beginning with the 2022-2023 school year, and allows attendance at any Alabama public virtual school in the state.
• Full-time zoned students in virtual programs are counted in their zoned school's average daily membership and receive diplomas from that local school; full-time non-zoned students are counted and graded through the virtual school they attend and receive their diploma from that local school system.
• Students in virtual programs may participate in extracurricular activities under the same rules as traditional students, including inter-system transfers and applicable athletic associations.
• Boards of education are exempt from certain general laws and administrative rules that conflict with delivering virtual instruction, and local boards are not subject to some online course restrictions from the State Department of Education; coursework must align with the Alabama course of study.
• The State Department of Education must provide a repository of quality content and continue to offer the ACCESS program at no local cost, ensuring required courses for graduation are available.

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