Alabama Parents, Athletes Left Hanging as Key Education Bills Die

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (Day.News) — The Alabama Legislature adjourned its 2026 regular session last Thursday after passing more than four dozen education bills, but a lengthy roster of others — including hot-button measures on parents' rights and school sports — died without a vote or stalled in committee.[1] House Bill 148, a proposed constitutional amendment, aimed to enshrine parents' fundamental rights to direct their child's education, upbringing, care, custody and control, but it never advanced.[1] Similarly, House Bill 23 sought to bar discussions of gender identity in public preK-12 schools, prohibit employees from displaying related flags or using non-biological pronouns, and died unpassed.[1] House Bill 246, requiring schools to post curricula online with an alternative review for copyrighted materials, also failed.[1] Accountability reforms met the same fate. House Bill 396 proposed revising the public school grading system, adjusting indicator weights for schools with and without 12th graders, and creating an Accountability Council for student data analysis.[1] House Bill 495 would have excluded academic achievements of students transferring from failing schools from the receiving school's report-card grade for three years, while House Bill 406 aimed to exclude nonstandard diploma recipients from grading calculations — both measures stalled.[1] House Bill 603 called for enhanced annual report cards on educator preparation programs with new metrics and funding, building on existing Alabama Department of Education efforts, but it too perished.[1] School sports and academics saw unresolved proposals. House Bill 340 would have permitted high school athletes to earn compensation for their name, image and likeness, a push amid national debates on NIL rights.[1] House Bill 567 proposed tracking public high school athletes' academic and athletic progress, post-graduation options and individualized transition plans.[1] In academics, House Bill 353 to establish an advanced math pathway — Algebra I in middle school and college-level math in high school — died awaiting a Senate floor vote.[1] Military families faced setbacks as well. Senate Bill 224 sought to revise the Alabama G.I. Dependent Scholarship Program's disability requirements for tuition aid, and Senate Bill 191 would have mandated homeschool notice for active-duty military families while granting access to Junior ROTC, facilities, special education and activities for non-enrolled students — neither passed.[1] Meanwhile, Senate tensions over a closed primary bill contributed to the session's chaotic final day, dooming several measures.[3]