House panel backs plan to adjust athletic counts for schools with large numbers of English learners
The House Education Policy committee approved a bill that would adjust athletic classifications for high schools with large numbers of English learners who do not participate in sports.
House Bill 298, sponsored by Rep. Brock Colvin, R-Albertville, aims to ensure fair competition by basing classification on the number of students actually available for athletics rather than total school enrollment. Colvin argued that current Alabama High School Athletic Association classifications put some schools at a disadvantage by including non-participating EL students in enrollment counts.
Under Colvin’s proposed substitute bill, if 15% or more of a school’s ninth, tenth and eleventh graders are English learners, an athletic association must adjust the school’s classification to exclude EL students who do not participate in sports. He emphasized that all participating student-athletes would still be counted.
Rep. Alan Baker, R-Brewton, raised concerns about setting a precedent for excluding specific student groups and questioned whether the change could create unintended advantages. Albertville High School, which is currently classified as a 7A school, has a large population of EL students.
“Albertville High School has done extremely well in soccer,” Baker said. “With this bill, there could be the potential that their classification might get lowered.”
Schools in lower classifications may then feel they are disadvantaged, he said.
Baker also warned the bill could open “Pandora’s Box,” when it comes to adjusting classifications based on subgroups.
“There are different categories of population within any school body, and at what point do we begin to consider other populations in regards to how many of them are actually participating, not just based on the head count of that particular category (of population)?” he said. “Are we sort of opening up that box?”
Paid parental leave for educators, state employees clears House Education Budget committee
The House Ways and Means Education unanimously approved a bill granting paid parental leave to educators and state employees, effective July 1, 2025.
Senate Bill 199, sponsored by Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, provides eight weeks of paid leave for female employees and two weeks for male employees following birth, miscarriage or stillbirth. Employees adopting a child three years old or younger would also receive eight weeks.
The bill, amended on the Senate floor to include community college and Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind employees, now heads to the House floor. Figures said she hopes to expand coverage to the Department of Youth Services and the state’s specialty schools.
House Bill 327, sponsored by Rep. Ginny Shaver, R-Leesburg, passed out of the same committee two weeks ago. Shaver stood with Figures in support of the bill.
According to the Retirement Systems of Alabama, K-12 employees and dependents had 2,166 births in 2023, with similar numbers in previous years.
The State Employees’ Insurance Board said the number of female state employees giving birth dropped from 237 in 2021 to 186 in 2024. The number of adoptions ranged from zero in 2024 to five in 2020.
A fiscal note attached to the bill did not estimate the total cost but projected financial impact for employers. State agencies would lose savings from unpaid leave, amounting to $8,600 per employee using eight weeks and $2,100 for two weeks.
Local school boards could face costs of $4,800 and $1,200 per employee for eight and two weeks, respectively.
House committee approves adding computer science to graduation requirements
The House Education Policy Committee approved a bill that would add a computer science course to Alabama’s high school graduation requirements.
House Bill 332, sponsored by Rep. David Faulkner, R-Mountain Brook, would make it state law that all students complete a computer science course before graduating. The requirement would take effect with the class of 2030-31, meaning this year’s eighth graders.
While Alabama already requires schools to offer computer science courses at the elementary, middle and high school levels. And last year, the state board of education adopted a policy mandating a computer science course for graduates beginning with the class of 2032. But that policy does not carry the force of law.
“The main point of this bill is making it a graduation requirement,” Faulkner said.
Students would be able to take the course as one of their four required math or science credits. However, it would not replace the two math and two science credits required for students pursuing the Workforce Pathways diploma.
Alabama is already a leader in K-12 computer science education, being one of only five states to adopt all 10 computer science education policies recommended by Code.org.