MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) is clarifying an apparent confusion regarding driver’s license eligibility requirements for students that are subject to school disciplinary actions under Section 32-6-7.4, Code of Alabama 1975 enacted in 2009.
The section is known as “Taylor’s Law”.
According to a press release from ALEA there has been confusion caused by the proposed House Bill 33 to reduce the age threshold associated with certain driver license eligibility provisions from 19 to 17. It was reportedly passed by the Alabama House of Representatives but not by the Senate. No amendments to Section 32-6-7.4 were made effective on August 1, it stated, so the ALEA provisions remain the same.
“Pursuant to Taylor’s Law, Alabama public and private secondary schools assess disciplinary points for specified disciplinary actions, including, but not limited to, in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, placement in an alternative school, and expulsion,” it said. “The accumulation of these disciplinary points may delay the age at which an eligible student may apply for a learner’s permit, driver license, or other applicable operator credential, as prescribed by Alabama law.”
ALEA further clarified that local education officials are responsible for handling disciplinary records and reporting.
“ALEA’s Driver License Division receives the necessary eligibility information on an applicant’s DL-193 form certified by the appropriate educational authorities and determines license eligibility solely by applying the requirements established by Alabama Law,” the press release reads. “The DL-193 also confirms the student’s compliance with act 93-368 that requires attendance or graduation standards be met before an individual under the age of 19 may be issued a learner license or driver license.”
ALEA does not handle disciplinary measures, it stressed. More information about driver license laws can be found at www.alea.gov.
