Alabama top stories in brief
- A newly filed bill would ensure public agencies in Alabama respond to public records requests. SB196 would establish that public records requests must be acknowledged within six business days.Then the office would have a total of 16 business days to either approve or deny the request. If the request is denied a reason must be provided. Currently, Alabama has no fixed timeline for how long agencies can take to respond to records requests. According to Muckrock, a non-profit news site dedicated to keeping governments open, Alabama agencies have an average response time of 146 days to requests.
- A correctional officer at G.K. Fountain Correctional Facility in Atmore was arrested and charged with beating a child last week. Reporting from Alabama Political Reporter says that at least 10 correctional officers have been arrested since last April.
- In Alabama, the teaching or discussion of gender or sexual orientation is banned in kindergarten through fifth grade. HB354 would extend that to the eighth grade, and add additional provisions requiring parents to be notified of their child’s sexual orientation in school.
- HB320 was passed last week to help make up the loss of revenue for sheriff departments caused by the permitless carry bill passed in 2022. The bill raised the amount of funds set aside for sheriff departments to assist in funding from $5 million to $7.5 million.
- A bill to cut in half the state’s grocery tax in 0.5% increments until the tax is reduced from 4% to 2% was introduced to the senate last week, and signed on by every member of the senate. The reduction would not apply in years where revenue for the education trust fund does not grow by at least 2%.
Alabama makes changes to education standards for early childhood
After Gov. Ivey pushed the resignation of Barbara Cooper — the former head of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood education — she directed state officials to reduce the amount the word “equity” was used in a teacher resource book.
Cooper’s resignation came soon after Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville, began informing other lawmakers of concerns that he had about a manual used by teachers in Alabama published by the National Association of the Education of Young Children.
According to Gov. Kay Ivey, the manual included “woke” concepts and said that she wanted schools to focus on teaching the basics.
AL.com’s Rebecca Griesbach reported that schools in the state would no longer use the manual as a resource for teachers. All of the books, which the state spent $38,000 purchasing, have now been removed according to the governor’s office.
Ivey specifically referenced sections of the book as problems that discussed the concept of systemic racism and LGBTQIA+ people.
“The teacher resource book that I looked at had all those references to different kinds of lifestyles and equity and this and that and the other,” Ivey told reporters. “That’s not teaching English. That’s not teaching writing. That’s not teaching reading. We need to focus on the basics y’all and get this right.”
In an email to the Associated Press, the NAEYC said that the manual was not a curriculum for students, but a research-based resource for teachers.
Regarding the sections mentioned by Ivey, the AP found that the manual said that systemic and structural racism permeated every institution, including early education.
According to AP, the book tells teachers that the classroom is one place where children “begin to see how they are represented in society” and that the classroom should be a place of “affirmation and healing.”
Another section Ivey criticized made mention of LGBTQIA+ families.
“Early childhood programs also serve and welcome families that represent many compositions. Children from all families (e.g., single parent, grandparent-led, foster, LGBTQIA+) need to hear and see messages that promote equality, dignity, and worth,” the book states.
Soon after Cooper’s resignation and the removal of the NAEYC’s manual from schools, the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education removed most uses of the word equity from its early learning and development standards.
The ADECE also removed from their standards, under the direction of the governor, a 24-page section from the appendix titled “Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education.” This section included guidelines from NAEYC, which stated that “all children have the right to equitable learning opportunities.” The section outlined steps for early learning programs to follow that build on each child’s individual background and family, and eliminate differences in educational outcomes based upon “who children are, where they live, and what resources their families have.”
Our articles you might have missed
- If you missed it, check out last week’s roundup, which covers the divisive concepts bill that was recently approved by an Alabama house committee after a public hearing.
What do pie, a playground made from oil drums and an old opera house all have in common? You can find them all in Greensboro! Read the first installment of The Alabama Ramble, a column by Wesley Miller about exploring the hidden gems of Alabama.
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