Alabama Department of Education Archives • Page 2 of 4 • Alabama Political Reporter

Alabama Public Health officials to recommend universal masking in schools

It's up to local school systems whether to follow the guidance, however. Gov. Kay Ivey said she won't mandate masks.

July 28, 2021

Due process bill for K-12 students facing discipline fails to advance

Sen. Smitherman's bill passed the Senate but failed to make it to the House floor. He plans to bring it back next year.

May 5, 2021

“Worst fear come true:” Two Alabama public school teachers lose parents to COVID-19

Two Alabama high school teachers tell APR about losing loved ones and the struggles they’ve had with school districts they say didn’t do enough to protect them, their students or their families from the deadly disease.

October 14, 2020

Schools won’t be required to report COVID-19 data for state’s K-12 dashboard

Information presented on the dashboard won’t be broken down by individual schools but will instead be displayed for whole systems. And districts won’t be required to report.

October 1, 2020

Governor announces $100 million internet voucher program for students

The governor has allocated for the program $100 million of the state’s $435 million in federal CARES act funds to help the state safeguard schools amid the growing spread of COVID-19.

August 3, 2020

About half of Alabama students will start the year with virtual learning, superintendent says

As much as 50 percent of Alabama’s public school students will be learning virtually when school starts back, said Alabama’s State Superintendent of Education Eric Mackey on Friday. Mackey discussed the restart of school amid COVID-19 at a press briefing hosted by Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama, and said that while he prefers that students get … Continued

July 24, 2020

State superintendent says challenges await when students return to class

Alabama State Superintendent Eric Mackey said Tuesday that as public schools plan to reopen for in-person instruction in the fall, school nurses could play a critical role in slowing the spread of the COVID-19 virus that shuttered them. Mackey, speaking with reporters and members of the Alabama House Democratic Caucus in a webinar session Tuesday, said … Continued

May 5, 2020

Schools will remain closed for the remainder of year, in-home instruction planned

Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday announced that schools statewide would remain out for the remainder of the school year as the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise. Ivey declared a state of emergency on March 19 and closed schools through April 6. “We had hoped at that time we would be taking these cautious … Continued

March 26, 2020

Alabama schools to suspend state testing

State school superintendent Erick Mackey announced Friday that Alabama will ask the federal government for a waiver so that the state can suspend all state testing for the rest of the year due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Speaking to reporters Friday Mackey said there will also be no report cards given out for the rest … Continued

March 20, 2020