BY SAM VISE
THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — As Alabama students head back to the classroom this August, social media posts and viral graphics warning families about school disciplinary infractions delaying teen driving privileges have sparked questions across the state.
However, state education advocates, law enforcement officials and local school administrators emphasize that the policy in question — known as Taylor’s Law — is not a newly enacted measure.
Taylor’s Law, codified as Section 32-6-7.4 in the Code of Alabama, was originally passed by the Alabama Legislature in 2009 under Act 2009-713.
Under this law, high schools track disciplinary points assessed for infractions such as in-school suspensions, out-of-school suspensions, alternative school placements and expulsions. Each disciplinary point corresponds to a one-week delay in a student’s eligibility to apply for a learner’s permit or driver’s license, capped at a maximum delay of one year.
The sudden surge of public attention surrounding the 17-year-old law appears to stem from a mix of routine back-to-school news coverage and confusion regarding legislation introduced during the 2026 legislative session.
According to a press release from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, public confusion arose in part from House Bill 33, sponsored by Rep. Ron Bolton during the 2026 Regular Legislative Session. While HB 33 proposed reducing the age threshold associated with certain driver’s license eligibility provisions from 19 to 17 years of age and passed the Alabama House of Representatives, it was never passed by the Alabama Senate and did not become law.
“Accordingly, no amendments to Section 32-6-7.4 became effective on Aug. 1, 2026, and the statutory requirements currently administered by ALEA remain unchanged,” ALEA stated in the release.
Whitney Miller-Nichols, director of governmental relations for the Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools, said the circulation of unverified graphics online and conflated news reports contributed to widespread misunderstandings among parents and educators.
“It kind of popped up out of nowhere. Taylor’s Law is not new; it’s been around since 2009,” Miller-Nichols said. “It seems like it’s sort of a perfect storm of people not quite reading all the way and people moving too fast.”
Miller-Nichols said because front-office workflows vary between school districts, many new administrators may never have directly handled the paperwork connecting conduct to licensing.
“Depending on how your front office is set up … if the registrar is the person who fills out that form and not the principal or assistant principal, then the principal or assistant principal would never even know that’s there,” she said.
Under the law, local public and private schools are responsible for maintaining student disciplinary records and reporting any applicable points to ALEA on the state’s DL-193 form — the document required for minors applying for a permit or driver’s license.
According to ALEA, the agency does not set school conduct policies or assign points independently; its Driver License Division strictly administers licensing eligibility based on the information provided by school authorities on the DL-193 form.
The standard point scale under the policy includes:
● In-school suspension: One point (one-week delay)
● Out-of-school suspension: Two points (two-week delay)
● Alternative school placement: Six points (six-week delay)
● Expulsion: 20 points (20-week delay)
Points accrue from age 13 until a student applies for their license, but middle school infractions don’t necessarily follow students forever — certain points can be forgiven as students get older if they avoid new infractions. In many cases, that means the points are gone by the time a student actually applies for a license, which may be why some administrators rarely see them on the form.
For local education leaders, the law serves as a reminder of the real-world weight school conduct carries beyond the classroom walls.
Opelika City Schools Superintendent Kevin Davis highlighted both the personal significance and educational value of the long-standing policy.
“Taylor’s Law has been in place since 2009, but Alabama educators have become more involved in helping implement and enforce it in recent years,” Davis said. “This law is especially meaningful to me because it was named in honor of the father of one of my former teachers in another school district. It is another important tool that encourages students to make good decisions and understand that their actions can have lasting consequences.”
As families navigate the start of the academic year, Miller-Nichols encouraged parents to review their district’s code of conduct and maintain open lines of communication with educators rather than relying on viral social media posts.
“I think there’s an important conversation for parents to have with their kids about knowing what the expectations are in their schools and classrooms,” Miller-Nichols said. “Instead of relying on viral posts, start with your child’s teacher and principal. We want to address problems as close to the source as we can and make sure students are supported.”
