Education (K-12 Education)

This bill establishes the Alabama Balanced Instruction and Screen Use Act to limit screen-based instruction in kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms. It defines screen-based instruction as delivering educational content primarily through digital devices like laptops or tablets instead of direct teacher-led instruction. The bill requires the State Board of Education to adopt standards for screen use, including regular vision breaks and compliance with privacy laws. An Elementary Instructional Technology Task Force will be established to review research on screen use and make recommendations annually until 2030. Exceptions are made for online high school courses, summer school, and brief technology use for formative assessments during teacher-led instruction.

SB 209 requires all public K-12 schools in Alabama to teach only "sexual risk avoidance" curriculum, emphasizing abstinence as the sole effective method to prevent pregnancy and STIs. It prohibits any instruction about contraception, abortion referrals, or sexually explicit materials, and bans sex education for students in kindergarten through fourth grade. The bill mandates that parents receive notice before such curriculum is taught and can opt their child out. It also requires schools to provide specific information about pregnancy costs, Alabama's abortion laws, adoption, and healthy relationship practices. The Attorney General is authorized to enforce these requirements.

SB 3 requires Alabama public K-12 schools to teach only abstinence-focused sex education, banning any instruction about contraception or abortion referrals. Parents must receive notice and can opt their children out of sex education classes. The bill mandates specific content, including pregnancy costs, abortion laws, adoption processes, and parenting responsibilities, while prohibiting demonstrations of contraceptive use or sexually explicit materials. School boards cannot partner with organizations that advocate for abortion or non-abstinence approaches, and the Attorney General is authorized to enforce these requirements.