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.
The legislation would also end the entitlement in existing law that six-year-olds be enrolled in first grade; this means children would have to not only attend but also successfully complete kindergarten before advancing.
HB 208 will be referred to the House Education Policy Committee when the legislature starts its 2021 regular session on Tuesday.
Warren introduced a version of this legislation in the 2019 and 2020 regular sessions, as well. Last year, the bill failed to advance from committee in the COVID-19 shortened session. The previous year, Warren’s bill passed the House in a 91-11 vote but was later shot down by the Senate in an 18-13 vote.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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