MONTGOMERY, Ala. – A new law requiring more information about classroom instruction be made available to parents went into effect this month.
Dubbed the Parents Right to Know Act, Senate Bill 48, sponsored by Senate Pro Tem Greg Reed, R-Jasper, will now require public schools to post curricula for each class publicly online.
The new law requires local superintendents and boards of education to verify no later than 30 days after the adoption of a curriculum that classroom teaching materials have been made available for public viewing on a school’s website.
The law also requires teachers to allow parents of children in their class to examine all instructional and supplemental materials and books available to students in the classroom.
“Our schools do an incredible job pouring into our young students, and I am so proud of the work our educators do daily,” Reed said earlier this year.
“This bill provides an opportunity for educators and parents to come together and be in lockstep about what is going on in our classrooms. We want educators to continue being able to do their jobs well, and we want parents to be as invested in their children’s educations as possible. A large portion of schools across Alabama already practice this policy, and implementing similar measures uniformly statewide will help build collaboration between schools and families across our state.”
The new law also creates a mechanism for parents to file complaints regarding school material they find objectionable. Those complaints will be forwarded to the Alabama Department of Education, which on an annual basis would produce a report compiling all complaints.
That report would then be delivered to the chairs of the Alabama House and Senate Education Policy committees.