Taylor's Law now official

By M.J. Ellington
Montgomery Bureau

Published: Thursday, June 4, 2009 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at 11:09 p.m.

Alabama is the first state in the nation to pass a law linking bad behavior in school to when a student qualifies for a driver's license or permit.

Taylor's Law

Links in-school behavior of students 13 and over to qualifying for a driver's permit or license, or watercraft license.
Imposes point system for infractions of school discipline rules and tracks infractions through STI, state uniform data reporting system all schools have.
Points accumulate yearly beginning at age 13 until student eligible for license or learner's permit.
Each point delays by one week the time when a student qualifies for a permit or license.
Accumulated points reduced by one-half after one year with no new infractions. After two years with no behavior infractions, the student's record is clean again.
Students get behavior infraction points including:
1 point: One-day in-school suspension
2 points: One day out-of-school suspension
6 points: Alternative school placement
20 points: Getting expelled.
Implementation expected in 2010-11 school year.

Source: HB 464/Act 2009-713 on ALISON

Gov. Bob Riley signed Rep. Mike Curtis's HB 464 last week, making the bill known as Taylor's Law official. Curtis, D-Greenhill said the new law is the first of its type in the country.

Now set to take effect in state public and private schools as early as the 2010-11 school year, Taylor's Law delays the time when students with school discipline problems qualify to drive.

"The law will phase in over a three-year period as the state Department of Education upgrades necessary computer software," said Michael Sibley, director of education communications.

The law uses a point system based on the severity of the discipline problem to delay eligibility for a vehicle driver's permit or license, or a watercraft license.

Taylor's Law also gives students with discipline infractions the chance to earn their way out of penalty points with subsequent good behavior.

Lauderdale County Schools Safety Supervisor John Mansell said the bill should get students' attention and that alone could help behavior.

"Sometimes with younger children, a good talking to helps but with older children you may need something more," Mansell said.

"This will help them see that decisions have consequences."

Curtis said the bill honors the memory of David Keith Taylor, a Muscle Shoals father of two who died in 2002 after a teen driver ran a stop sign at 85 miles an hour and hit Taylor's van.

Legislators worked for five years to pass the bill, first introduced by Sen. Bobby Denton, D-Muscle Shoals.

The idea from the bill came from Lisa Moses, a former Lauderdale County teacher who now works at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Schools will track the point system using STI, a tracking system already in place and at no additional cost in schools across the state, Moses said.

Curtis and Denton said nobody in the Legislature objected to the bill.

"This gives children an incentive to behave in school," Curtis said.

"I'm excited about it. It links good behavior in school to getting a driver's license and they all want to get that driver's license."

Rep. Henry White, D-Athens, was a co-sponsor of the bill. A former Limestone County School superintendent, classroom teacher and principal, White said he believes the bill will deter disruptive behavior.

"Sometimes students kind of enjoy seeing somebody act up and when one does it, others may join in," White said. "If they realize the behavior affects when they can drive, it may help."

M.J. Ellington is the Montgomery Bureau chief for the TimesDaily and the Decatur Daily. She can be reached at mjellington@DecaturDaily.com.