Alabama Releases Schools Failing Under New Law

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Seventy-eight Alabama schools from both urban and rural areas are on the state’s list of schools that are failing under a new law.

The list released Tuesday includes many schools from the state’s Black Belt region and city or county systems around Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile and Montgomery.

Parents who want to remove their children from the schools and send them to better ones can receive tax credits under the Alabama Accountability Act, passed by the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature this year.

The tax credits are worth about $3,500 annually. Parents can receive the credits if they send children to private academies or public schools that aren’t considered failing.

Superintendent Tommy Bice says the list includes schools that are steadily improving but still don’t fit state criteria.