MONTGOMERY — The Alabama House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill that would require students in Alabama to complete kindergarten or meet certain achievement standards in order to enroll in first grade.
State Rep. Pebblin Warren (D-Tuskegee) sponsored the legislation, HB208, which passed by a vote of 83-17.
A fiscal note prepared for the legislation estimated it would increase the number of kindergarten students by a maximum of 5,000. The total cost of implementing the change would be approximately $33.8 million, per the note.
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- The vaccine rollout in the United States and Alabama continues as the number of coronavirus cases trends down, but some communities are still slow to jump on board with a vaccine.
- Hispanic and black communities are reportedly less likely to want the vaccine and less likely to be receiving the vaccine. In Alabama, Tuskegee residents appear to be subjects of repeated stories of vaccine skepticism because of an unethical experiment on black men in the area with syphilis who had medical treatment withheld.
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State Rep. Pebblin Warren (D-Tuskegee) has again introduced a bill that would make kindergarten mandatory in the state of Alabama.
Currently, state law only requires that children begin attending school at age six for first grade.
All children who are six-years-old on or before December 31 of a given year are entitled and required to enroll in the first grade for the start of that school year.
Warren’s bill, HB 208, would change this section of the law to mandate that all children who are five-years-old on or before September 1 of a given year enroll in kindergarten for the start of that school year. Early enrollment would be available via an approval process for children whose birthdays fall between September 1 and December 31 and that meet readiness guidelines. (more…)