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HB183 • 2026

Public K-12 schools; home school students authorized to attend career and technical education programs in certain circumstances

Public K-12 schools; home school students authorized to attend career and technical education programs in certain circumstances

Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
DuBose
Last action
2026-03-05
Official status
Read Second Time in Second House
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not specify a minimum grade level for home school students to participate in CTE programs. The candidate explanation incorrectly assumes that participation is allowed starting from any grade beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, without specifying grade level.

Home School Students Can Join Career and Technical Education Programs

This bill allows home school students to join career and technical education programs in public schools, with certain conditions.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows home school students to enroll in career and technical education (CTE) programs at public K-12 schools starting from the 7th grade or older beginning with the 2027-2028 school year.
  • Requires home school students to pay course fees equal to those paid by regular public school students.
  • Gives full-time, stand-alone CTE schools the choice of whether or not to allow home school student participation.
  • Requires the State Board of Education and local boards of education to create rules for home school student enrollment in CTE programs.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Home school students who want to join career and technical education programs at public schools starting from the 7th grade or older beginning with the 2027-2028 school year.
  • Public K-12 schools that offer career and technical education programs.
  • Full-time, stand-alone career and technical education schools that may choose whether or not to allow home school student participation.

Terms To Know

Career and Technical Education (CTE)
An area of study that blends academic, occupational, and life skills leading to a credential, employment, or further education.
Home School Student
A student who is instructed by a private tutor pursuant to Section 16-28-5, Code of Alabama 1975, or who is taught at home and is enrolled in a private school or a church school as defined in Section 16-28-1, Code of Alabama 1975.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not require full-time, stand-alone career and technical education schools to accept home school students.
  • It's unclear how the enrollment process will work if CTE programs are already at capacity with regular public school students.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

7BCHRV2-1

Finance and Taxation Education

Finance and Taxation Education 2nd Amendment

Plain English: 7BCHRV2-1 : 2/19/2026 : GP 2ND FINANCE AND TAXATION EDUCATION AMENDMENT TO HB183 OFFERED BY SENATOR ORR Page 1 Replace lines 44 through 48 on page 2 with the following: (2) HOME SCHOOL STUDENT.

  • 7BCHRV2-1 : 2/19/2026 : GP 2ND FINANCE AND TAXATION EDUCATION AMENDMENT TO HB183 OFFERED BY SENATOR ORR Page 1 Replace lines 44 through 48 on page 2 with the following: (2) HOME SCHOOL STUDENT.
  • A K-12 student who receives home-based instruction as authorized by Sections 16-1-11.1 and 16-1-11.2, Code of Alabama 1975.
  • 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
  • This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.
L54USYW-1

Finance and Taxation Education

Finance and Taxation Education 1st Amendment

Plain English: L54USYW-1 : 2/17/2026 : GP 1ST FINANCE AND TAXATION EDUCATION AMENDMENT TO HB183 OFFERED BY SENATOR ORR Page 1 Replace line 52 on page 2 with the following: education program offered by a public school, subject to all of the following: Replace lines 54 through 55 on page 2 with the following: public school student.

  • L54USYW-1 : 2/17/2026 : GP 1ST FINANCE AND TAXATION EDUCATION AMENDMENT TO HB183 OFFERED BY SENATOR ORR Page 1 Replace line 52 on page 2 with the following: education program offered by a public school, subject to all of the following: Replace lines 54 through 55 on page 2 with the following: public school student.
  • (2)a.
  • The home school student resides in the school district of the public school in which the home school student intends to enroll.
  • b.
  • This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-05 Senate

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  2. 2026-03-04 Senate

    Reported Out of Committee Second House

  3. 2026-03-04 Senate

    Finance and Taxation Education 2nd Amendment

  4. 2026-03-04 Senate

    Finance and Taxation Education 1st Amendment

  5. 2026-02-05 Senate

    Pending Committee Action in Second House

  6. 2026-02-05 Senate

    Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Finance and Taxation Education

  7. 2026-02-03 House

    Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 255 (Yeas 85, Nays 2)

  8. 2026-02-03 House

    Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 89, Nays 2)

  9. 2026-01-29 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  10. 2026-01-28 House

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  11. 2026-01-13 House

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  12. 2026-01-13 House

    Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Education Policy

Official Summary Text

Public K-12 schools; home school students authorized to attend career and technical education programs in certain circumstances

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB183 INTRODUCED
Page 0
HB183
BYBICJJ-1
By Representatives DuBose, Collins, Garrett
RFD: Education Policy
First Read: 13-Jan-26
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BYBICJJ-1 01/07/2026 GP (L)lg 2026-84
Page 1
First Read: 13-Jan-26
SYNOPSIS:
Under existing law, career and technical
education programs are available to students at certain
public schools.
Existing law does not authorize home school
students to participate in any class or program offered
by a public school.
This bill would authorize home school students
to participate in career and technical education
programs at public schools, except that full-time,
stand-alone career and technical education schools may
choose whether to opt in to home school student
participation.
This bill would provide conditions that a home
school student must meet in order to participate in a
career and technical education program.
This bill would require the State Board of
Education and each local board of education to adopt
rules relating to the participation of home school
students in career and technical education
programs.
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
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HB183 INTRODUCED
Page 2
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to public K-12 education; to authorize home
school students to participate in certain career and technical
education programs at K-12 public schools; to provide
exemptions for full-time career and technical education
schools; and to require the State Board of Education and local
boards of education to adopt appropriate rules and
policies.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. (a) For the purposes of this section, the
following terms have the following meanings:
(1) CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION or CTE. An area of
study that blends academic, occupational, and life skills
leading to a credential, employment, or further education.
(2) HOME SCHOOL STUDENT. A student who is instructed by
a private tutor pursuant to Section 16-28-5, Code of Alabama
1975, or who is taught at home and is enrolled in a private
school or a church school as defined in Section 16-28-1, Code
of Alabama 1975.
(3) STATE BOARD. The State Board of Education.
(b) Beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, a home
school student may participate in any career and technical
education program offered by a public school, provided that:
(1) The home school student enrolls as a nontraditional
public school student; and
(2) The home school student pays any course fees in an
amount equal to the fee charged to an enrolled public school
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HB183 INTRODUCED
Page 3
amount equal to the fee charged to an enrolled public school
student.
(c) In the event that a CTE program has limited
enrollment capacity, a home school student who wishes to
enroll in the CTE program shall be considered for enrollment
after current public school students are enrolled.
(d)(1) The state board shall adopt rules to implement
and administer this section.
(2) Each local board of education shall adopt a policy
reflecting the requirements of this section and rules adopted
by the state board.
(e) This section does not require any full-time,
stand-alone career and technical education school to allow
home school students to participate in its career and
technical education programs. However, any full-time,
stand-alone career and technical education school may choose
to allow home school students to participate in its career and
technical education programs pursuant to this section.
Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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