HB582 Alabama 2025 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Mack N. ButlerRepresentative

Republican

Session

2025 Regular Session

Title

Public K-12 education; use and teaching of social-emotional learning concepts prohibited, parental consent required for certain surveys, violations constitute neglect of duty

Summary

HB582 would ban social-emotional learning in public K-12 schools, require parental consent for certain surveys, and require annual reporting of disciplinary actions to the Legislature.

What This Bill Does

It prohibits the use of social-emotional learning concepts or curricula in training staff or educating students in public K-12 schools. It bars districts from promoting, purchasing, or using SEL materials, including funding from federal, state, or private sources, and forbids dissemination of CASEL materials or using them as a framework. It requires parents to give written consent before a student participates in certain surveys or evaluations that collect sensitive information, and it treats SEL-related violations as neglect of duty with annual reporting of disciplinary actions to the Legislature.

Who It Affects

• Public K-12 school districts and local boards of education, which would be barred from promoting or using SEL and would need to handle parental consent for certain surveys and report disciplinary actions.
• Teachers, administrators, counselors, school employees, and volunteers, who could face neglect-of-duty findings and potential disciplinary action for SEL-related activities.
• Students and their parents/guardians, who would require parental consent before participating in sensitive surveys or evaluations.
• Charter schools and their governing boards, which are subject to the same SEL prohibitions, consent requirements, and reporting obligations.
• Organizations that promote or train on SEL (and their funders), which would be prohibited from association with schools or providing SEL-related training or materials.

Key Provisions

• Prohibits use of social-emotional learning concepts for training of teachers or instruction of students in public K-12 schools.
• Local boards of education may not promote, purchase, or utilize SEL concepts or materials, and may not use federal, state, or private funds to promote or implement SEL.
• Prohibits teachers, administrators, counselors, employees, or volunteers from using curricula with SEL content for training or education of students; applies to all learning resources.
• Disallows display or dissemination of CASEL materials or use of CASEL as a framework in schools.
• Requires prior written parental consent before allowing a student to participate in surveys or evaluations that reveal sensitive information about the student or family.
• Prohibits associations with organizations promoting or utilizing SEL and bans organizations training staff on SEL concepts.
• Violations constitute neglect of duty and may lead to suspension, dismissal, or other disciplinary actions, with annual summary reporting to the House and Senate Education Policy Committees by the 10th legislative day of each regular session.

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