Alabama — school discipline
- The lines the state draws
- The statute defines the removals it covers. "LONG-TERM SUSPENSION. The exclusion of a student from his or her regular school environment for more than 10, and less than 90, school days, per incident, for disciplinary purposes." "EXPULSION. The exclusion of a student from his or her regular school environment for more than 90, and less than 180, school days, per incident, for disciplinary purposes." "LONG-TERM ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL PLACEMENT. The placement of a student in alternative school for more than 15 school days, per incident, for disciplinary purposes." (§16-1-14(a)) The section's procedures are triggered by "a recommendation for the long-term alternative school placement, long-term suspension, or expulsion of a student" (§16-1-14(e)); no procedure for a removal of 10 school days or fewer appears in the sources reviewed, and that absence is the finding. Where a criminal charge is involved the statute states its own removal: "the local school system shall immediately suspend that student from attending regular classes and schedule a hearing at the earliest possible date, which shall not be later than 30 calendar days, or pursuant to the due process procedures provided in Section 16-1-14, whichever is earliest." (§16-1-24.1(b)(3))
- Offices and appeal bodies in these sources
- The hearing is before the local board: the student "is afforded an opportunity for a disciplinary hearing before the local board of education, or a designee of the local board of education, to determine whether the alleged violation has occurred." (§16-1-14(e)(1)) The written decision must carry the appeal route: "A statement detailing the right of the student to appeal the decision pursuant to the code of student conduct of the local board of education and Section 12-15-115, and notice of the procedures necessary to file an appeal." (§16-1-14(e)(9)) The route beyond the local board is therefore assigned in part to district policy by the quoted provision, with Section 12-15-115 named but not captured in this review.
No state office, phone number, or email for parents appears in the sources; that absence is the finding. - Sources last checked
- Oct 25, 2026
Reproduced from the state's own statutes and regulations quoted below: potentially relevant official sources, not a determination of which one governs any situation.
This page assembles what Alabama publishes in statute and regulation about K-12 school discipline: who may remove a student and how, the notice and hearing the statute requires, what continues during a removal, where the appeal routes run, and, because the statute assigns much of the detail to each local board, a map of the questions answered only in a district's own code of student conduct. The fullest single statement is Section 16-1-14, the state's due process section for long-term alternative school placement, long-term suspension, and expulsion. Alabama's own vocabulary appears throughout: the code of student conduct, the local board of education, and the discipline plan required by the safe-school and drug-free-school policy. District codes of student conduct and written behavior policies add procedural detail this page does not carry; the delegation map below points at exactly those questions. For a student with an IEP or Section 504 plan, the disability layer lives on this site's Alabama special education page. Confirm applicability with the district and the agencies. All dates on this page are quoted from the sources, not a deadline calculation performed for you.
The framework, as the state writes it
Local board rulemaking (§16-1-14(b)). "Each local board of education, consistent with Section 16-28-12, shall adopt rules with respect to behavior and discipline of students enrolled in the schools under its jurisdiction and, in order to enforce the rules, may remove, isolate, or separate students who create disciplinary problems in any classroom or other school activity and whose presence in the class may be detrimental to the best interest and welfare of the students of the class as a whole." "Any rules adopted pursuant to this section shall be approved by the State Board of Education." A ceiling applies to whatever a local board removes a student under: "Any removal, isolation, or separation authorized under this section may not deprive a student of his or her full right to an equal and adequate education." (§16-1-14(c))
Before recommending discipline (§16-1-14(d)). "Following an alleged student disciplinary incident or infraction, the principal, or his or her designee, may consider all of the following factors before recommending or initiating disciplinary action against a student:" the student's age, "The disciplinary history of the student." "The seriousness of the violation or behavior." "Whether a lesser intervention would appropriately address the behavior of the student."
Long-term alternative school placement, long-term suspension, and expulsion (§16-1-14(e)). No procedure for a shorter removal appears in the sources reviewed; the statute's own due process procedures, quoted in the docket and in section 02 below, are triggered only at these three thresholds.
The safe-school and drug-free-school policy (§16-1-24.1). "The principal shall notify appropriate law enforcement officials when any student or school employee violates local board of education policies concerning drugs, alcohol, weapons, physical harm to an individual, or threatened physical harm to an individual." (§16-1-24.1(b)(1)) The same duty applies "immediately upon notice of any individual making a terrorist threat pursuant to Section 13A-10-241 or Section 13A-10-242." (§16-1-24.1(b)(2)) Where a criminal charge follows, the mandatory suspension and 30-calendar-day hearing clock quoted in the docket applies. (§16-1-24.1(b)(3)) Readmission after such a violation is conditioned: a student found to have violated a policy on drugs, alcohol, weapons, or physical harm "may not be readmitted to the public schools of this state until: (i) all criminal charges or offenses arising from the conduct, if any, have been disposed of by appropriate authorities; and (ii) the student or school employee has satisfied all other requirements imposed by the local board of education as a condition for readmission." (§16-1-24.1(c)) A student "adjudicated delinquent or a youthful offender, or convicted of a criminal offense" involving the same categories of conduct "may not be readmitted to the public schools of this state until the student or school employee has satisfied the conditions prescribed by the local board of education for preservation of the safety or security of students and employees of the local board of education, which may include, but are not limited to, psychiatric or psychological evaluation and counseling." (§16-1-24.1(d)) A student charged with making a terrorist threat is suspended on the same 30-calendar-day clock, and on adjudication or conviction "the student shall be expelled from school". (§16-1-24.1(e)(2)-(3)) Throughout, "Any disciplinary action mandated by this subsection shall be subject to the student's existing rights and procedural safeguards under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which shall take precedence in the event of a conflict." (§16-1-24.1(e)(1))
The written behavior policy (§16-28-12). "Each local public board of education shall adopt a written policy for its standards on school behavior." (§16-28-12(b)) A parent, guardian, or other person having custody of a child who "fails to compel the child to properly conduct himself or herself as a pupil in any public school in accordance with the written policy on school behavior adopted by the local board of education pursuant to this section and documented by the appropriate school official which conduct may result in the suspension of the pupil, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars ($100) and may also be sentenced to hard labor for the county for not more than 90 days." (§16-28-12(a))
No agency guidance document on student discipline was located on the Alabama State Department of Education's site in this review; that absence is the finding, and it is recorded rather than filled from another state's practice.
The published process
- Notice and hearing before exclusion
- Before a long-term alternative school placement, long-term suspension, or expulsion, the student and parent or guardian "receive reasonable written notice of the disciplinary hearing, delivered to them personally or by mail. If the written notice is not responded to by a parent or guardian, the hearing shall be waived." (§16-1-14(e)(2)) The notice must include "A statement of the time, place, and nature of the hearing;" "A short and plain statement detailing the alleged conduct, the provision of the code of student conduct or state law allegedly violated, and any recommended discipline;" "A statement outlining the rights of the student at the hearing; and" "An optional waiver of the disciplinary hearing indicating the parent or guardian's assent to the alleged violation or violations and to the recommended discipline." (§16-1-14(e)(2)) At the hearing, "Legal counsel or another advocate of the student's choice may represent the student at the hearing at the student's expense." (§16-1-14(e)(4)) "Representatives from the school seeking the proposed disciplinary action shall offer evidence at the hearing that the student violated the code of student conduct or state law." (§16-1-14(e)(6)) "The student, parent or guardian, or legal counsel or advocate may present a defense, question adverse witnesses who are present at the hearing and offering testimony, excluding students under 14 years of age, and offer evidence, including oral testimony from supporting witnesses, written statements, other documentary evidence, and audio or video recordings at the hearing. The anonymity of witnesses shall be protected, and witnesses may not be compelled to attend or testify in any disciplinary hearing." (§16-1-14(e)(7))
- Services during exclusion
- The statute states a floor rather than a specific instructional program: "Any removal, isolation, or separation authorized under this section may not deprive a student of his or her full right to an equal and adequate education." (§16-1-14(c)) No provision describing how coursework or instruction is delivered during a suspension, placement, or expulsion appears in the sources reviewed beyond that guarantee; that absence is the finding.
- The record made, and the appeal route
- "Each party to the hearing, upon request, shall receive an electronic or written record of the hearing from the local board of education." (§16-1-14(e)(8)) "The student and parent or guardian of the student shall receive a written decision from the local board of education, or its designee, within five school days after the hearing." The decision must include: "The basis for the decision, including a reference to the provision of the code of student conduct or state law that the student is accused of violating." "A statement detailing the information that shall be included in the official record of the student." And "A statement detailing the right of the student to appeal the decision pursuant to the code of student conduct of the local board of education and Section 12-15-115, and notice of the procedures necessary to file an appeal." (§16-1-14(e)(9)) The appeal route itself is therefore assigned to the local board's own code of student conduct together with Section 12-15-115, named but not captured in this review — a delegation, not an absence.
- If the student has an IEP or Section 504 plan
- The disability layer — evaluations, the IEP team, manifestation determination, services during removal, and the dispute routes — lives on this site's Alabama special education page. The discipline statute itself states: "Nothing in this section shall be construed to infringe on any right provided to a student pursuant to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, or the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990." (§16-1-14(f))
The four rows above answer the questions an experienced adviser raises first, from the state's own statutes, or record that a question is not answered in them.
Timelines, as stated in the sources
All quoted; none calculated. From Code of Ala. §§16-1-14 and 16-1-24.1 as retrieved Sep 4, 2026.
On the hearing after a long-term removal: "If a parent or guardian has responded to the notice, the disciplinary hearing shall occur within 10 school days after the initial suspension from school, unless good cause is otherwise shown or upon agreement of the parties." (§16-1-14(e)(3))
On reviewing evidence before the hearing: "At least five days before the hearing, the student, parent or guardian, and legal counsel or advocate of the student may review any audio or video recording of the incident and, consistent with federal and state student records laws and regulations, any records, documents, or other information that may be presented as evidence at the hearing, including written statements made by witnesses related to the alleged incident leading to the suspension or expulsion." (§16-1-14(e)(5))
On the written decision: "The student and parent or guardian of the student shall receive a written decision from the local board of education, or its designee, within five school days after the hearing." (§16-1-14(e)(9))
On a criminal-charge suspension: the local school system "shall immediately suspend that student from attending regular classes and schedule a hearing at the earliest possible date, which shall not be later than 30 calendar days, or pursuant to the due process procedures provided in Section 16-1-14, whichever is earliest." (§16-1-24.1(b)(3))
On a terrorist-threat suspension: "the school system shall immediately suspend that student from attending regular classes and schedule a hearing at the earliest possible date, which shall not be later than 30 calendar days after the suspension, or pursuant to the due process procedures provided in Section 16-1-14, whichever is earliest." (§16-1-24.1(e)(2))
What any of this means for a particular situation is for the local board, the agencies, and their processes to determine.
Assigned to district policy by the quoted provision
The statute writes the frame and expressly hands the detail to each local board. Each entry below is a question a district's own documents answer, with the delegating text quoted. No district's code of student conduct or written behavior policy is captured or quoted here.
Rules on student behavior and discipline. "Each local board of education, consistent with Section 16-28-12, shall adopt rules with respect to behavior and discipline of students enrolled in the schools under its jurisdiction and, in order to enforce the rules, may remove, isolate, or separate students who create disciplinary problems in any classroom or other school activity and whose presence in the class may be detrimental to the best interest and welfare of the students of the class as a whole." "Any rules adopted pursuant to this section shall be approved by the State Board of Education." (§16-1-14(b))
The code of student conduct itself. "The local board of education shall adopt and make available to all teachers, school personnel, students, and parents or guardians, at the beginning of each school year, a code of student conduct developed in consultation with teachers, school personnel, students, and parents or guardians." (§16-1-24.1(g))
The written behavior policy. "Each local public board of education shall adopt a written policy for its standards on school behavior." (§16-28-12(b))
The discipline plan for drug-free and safe-school violations. The State Board of Education's policy "shall include the formulation of a discipline plan setting forth policies, practices, and procedures dealing with students or other individuals who bring illegal drugs, alcohol, or weapons on a school campus. The discipline plan shall also include uniform drug-free school policies with uniform penalties." (§16-1-24.1(a))
Conditions for readmission. After a drug, alcohol, weapon, or physical-harm violation, a student may not be readmitted "until: (i) all criminal charges or offenses arising from the conduct, if any, have been disposed of by appropriate authorities; and (ii) the student or school employee has satisfied all other requirements imposed by the local board of education as a condition for readmission." (§16-1-24.1(c)) After adjudication or conviction, readmission requires that "the student or school employee has satisfied the conditions prescribed by the local board of education for preservation of the safety or security of students and employees of the local board of education, which may include, but are not limited to, psychiatric or psychological evaluation and counseling." (§16-1-24.1(d))
The appeal route beyond the local board. The written decision must carry "A statement detailing the right of the student to appeal the decision pursuant to the code of student conduct of the local board of education and Section 12-15-115, and notice of the procedures necessary to file an appeal." (§16-1-14(e)(9))
Records access, as stated in the sources
Before the hearing, "the student, parent or guardian, and legal counsel or advocate of the student may review any audio or video recording of the incident and, consistent with federal and state student records laws and regulations, any records, documents, or other information that may be presented as evidence at the hearing, including written statements made by witnesses related to the alleged incident leading to the suspension or expulsion." (§16-1-14(e)(5)) After the hearing, "Each party to the hearing, upon request, shall receive an electronic or written record of the hearing from the local board of education." (§16-1-14(e)(8)) The written decision itself must include "A statement detailing the information that shall be included in the official record of the student." (§16-1-14(e)(9)) The State Board of Education's administrative code separately states that "Transcripts and disciplinary records with respect to suspension (in- and out-of school) and expulsion may be sent to another school." (Ala. Admin. Code ch. 290-3-1) The same chapter cross-references federal law without restating it: "All schools must observe the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) as set forth in 20 U.S.C. 1239, 34 CFR, Part 99." Expungement of discipline records is not stated in the sources reviewed (§§16-1-14, 16-1-24.1, and 16-28-12 and Ala. Admin. Code ch. 290-3-1 were searched).
Source map
| Document | Location | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Code of Ala. §16-1-14 (procedural due process before long-term removal) | alison.legislature.state.al.us | session-law notation ends with Act 2024-262; retrieved Sep 4, 2026 |
| Code of Ala. §16-1-24.1 (safe school policy; code of student conduct) | alison.legislature.state.al.us | session-law notation ends with Act 2026-367; retrieved Sep 4, 2026 |
| Code of Ala. §16-28-12 (local board written behavior policy) | alison.legislature.state.al.us | session-law notation ends with Acts 1994, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 94-782; retrieved Sep 4, 2026 |
| Ala. Admin. Code ch. 290-3-1 (State Board, Public School Governance) | admincode.legislature.state.al.us | chapter footer states Revised 10/13/25; retrieved Sep 4, 2026 |
| Code of Ala. §12-15-115 (the appeal route §16-1-14 names) | cited in §16-1-14(e)(9) | capture pending |
| Alabama State Department of Education guidance on student discipline | — | not located in this review; capture pending |
| District codes of student conduct and written behavior policies | each local board, per §16-1-24.1(g) and §16-28-12(b) | never captured; see the delegation map |
Change log
Aug 30, 2026 · Baseline page created (discipline-layer breadth sprint). Captured first-party under recipe tools/recipes/alabama-discipline.json: Code of Ala. §§16-1-14, 16-1-24.1, and 16-28-12 from the Legislature's Code of Alabama, and Ala. Admin. Code ch. 290-3-1 from the administrative-code site's own chapter PDF endpoint. Findings recorded: (1) the state's due process section reaches long-term removal only — it defines long-term suspension as "more than 10, and less than 90, school days" and states procedures for long-term alternative school placement, long-term suspension, and expulsion; no procedure for a removal of ten school days or fewer appears in the sources reviewed, and it is recorded as not stated rather than inferred; (2) the hearing forum is the local board or its designee, and the appeal beyond it is assigned to the local board's own code of student conduct together with Section 12-15-115 — a delegation, not an absence; (3) the conduct rules, the behavior policy, and the appeal procedure are each assigned to the local board by quoted provisions (§16-1-24.1(g), §16-28-12(b), §16-1-14(b)), which will anchor the full page's delegation map; (4) §16-1-14 carries a 2024 session-law notation and §16-1-24.1 a 2026 one; the section pages publish no separate effective date beyond those notations, so the notation is recorded as the source's own date; (5) no state office or contact for parents appears in the sources; (6) §12-15-115 is named as an appeal route but not yet captured. Capture note: the Legislature serves the Code of Alabama from a client-rendered application, and a bare fetch of a section address returns the shell without the section text, so the three sections were read through a session browser at the application's own ?section= deep-link addresses and supplied to the capture recipe; the administrative-code chapter fetched normally as PDF.
Sep 4, 2026 · Deepened to full depth (discipline-layer deepening pass). Re-verified all four sources through the same recipe (chrome sources 1-3 re-fetched and confirmed byte-identical; the administrative-code chapter re-fetched by curl and confirmed unchanged) — no source text moved since Aug 30, 2026. Built section 01 (the framework route by route: local board rulemaking under §16-1-14(b)-(c), the factors a principal may weigh under §16-1-14(d), the three long-term thresholds under §16-1-14(e), and the safe-school and drug-free-school scheme under §16-1-24.1 with its mandatory 30-calendar-day hearing clock and readmission conditions), section 02's four hoisted rows, a timelines block, a district delegation map with six entries, and a records-access section. Findings recorded rather than smoothed: (1) the statute states a services-during-exclusion floor — "may not deprive a student of his or her full right to an equal and adequate education" (§16-1-14(c)) — but no provision describing how coursework is delivered during a removal appears in the sources reviewed, and that absence is stated rather than inferred from the floor language; (2) no agency guidance document on student discipline was located on the Alabama State Department of Education's site in this review; (3) expungement of discipline records is not stated in any of the four sources; (4) Section 12-15-115, the appeal statute §16-1-14(e)(9) names, remains uncaptured, as does Alabama State Department of Education guidance — both listed in the source map as capture pending; (5) district codes of student conduct and written behavior policies, which the delegation map points at, are never captured, per the module's no-district-code rule. No case law quoted anywhere on this page. Internet Archive captures: to be added. Reviewer: Carrie Schluter. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.
Nov 2, 2026 · Internet Archive captures recorded. Captures requested this date by an automated capture pass; no human review is claimed for this entry. No quotation, date, finding or link above was changed by it. Each capture below was requested through Save Page Now and then confirmed to play back. Captures added: admincode.legislature.state.al.us → https://web.archive.org/web/20261102143456/https://admincode.legislature.state.al.us/administrative-code/290-3-1; §16-1-14 → https://web.archive.org/web/20261102143552/https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/code-of-alabama?section=16-1-14. Corrections on the record in this log: hello@fieldassembly.net.