Alabama Code Title 16. Education § 16-1-11.1 SECTION 16-1-11.1 AUTONOMY OF NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS - LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) That a parent or guardian in Alabama has a constitutional right to choose the type of K-12 education that is best for his or her child, whether public or nonpublic, religious or nonreligious, and including home-based education.

(2) That many parents choose to home school or enroll their children in elementary and secondary nonpublic schools, including private, church, parochial, or religious schools, that are not subject to state regulation and do not receive state or federal funds.

(3) That other than reporting on the enrollment of students, these nonpublic K-12 schools have been primarily exempt from state regulation and have only been required by state law to report the enrollment of students.

(4) That there is no national or state constitutional mandate that the government provide, license, or regulate nonpublic education, including private, church, parochial, and religious schools, or home-schooled students.

(5) That regulation by the state, including the State Department of Education, the State Board of Education, or the State Superintendent of Education, of any school with a religious affiliation would be an unconstitutional burden on religious activities in direct violation of the Alabama Religious Freedom Amendment and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution; and further that the State of Alabama has no compelling interest to burden by license or regulation nonpublic schools, which include private, church, parochial, and religious schools offering educational instruction in grades K-12, as well as home-based schools and home-schooled students.

(Act 2014-245, p. 785, §1.)

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