The Alabama Senate Thursday approved legislation creating a uniform suspension and expulsion process for public K-12 students.
HB 188, sponsored by Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, extends due process to children in the school disciplinary system. The bill passed 32-0.
“They are the only body that did not have due process,” said Sen. Rodger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, after the Senate adjourned. “You and I are grown people. We have due process all the way through the legal system.”
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Smitherman said that some places had their own due process, but this creates an “equalizing baseline system.”
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The Senate was originally supposed to take up Smitherman’s version of the bill, but he said that Collins’ bill reflects the concerns of interested parties.
Smitherman filed a version of the bill last year, but it failed on the Senate floor. Collins also filed a version of the bill last year, but representatives and speakers at a public hearingshared concerns about demographics and anonymity.
The bill was altered throughout the 2024 session.
“We finally got there,” said Smitherman after the Senate adjourned. “It’s just sometimes it takes a while. You know how the cake sometimes don’t want to rise up? But we were able to put enough yeast in this cake, to get it up to where it was supposed to be. And now I think it’s going to be something that people are going to enjoy all around the board.”
Under the legislation, the principal or the principal’s designee would be able to consider the age of the student, disciplinary history of the student, seriousness of violation or behavior or whether a lesser intervention would suffice in considering punishment. .
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Before a recommendation for long-term alternative school placement, long-term suspension or expulsion, a local board would need to provide a disciplinary hearing. The disciplinary hearing would be held within ten days after the initial suspension, if the parent or guardian responds, unless there is good cause or agreement between the parties.
The student could be represented by legal counsel or another advocate of the student’s choice at the student’s expense. The student, representative and parent or guardian would be able to review any evidence five days prior to the hearing. Representatives of the school will present evidence at the hearing.
The student, parent/ guardian or representation may present a defense, question present adverse witnesses offering testimony, offer testimony from witnesses (excluding students under 14), offer written statements and present other documentary, audio or video evidence. Witness anonymity is protected, and witnesses cannot be compelled to testify.
The legislation also requires a “reasonable written notice” to the student and parent or guardian with a statement of a time, place and nature of the hearing, as well as a short statement outlining the alleged violation, with the provision of state law or student conduct violated and recommended disciplinary action.
It would also need to include a statement outlining the rights of the student at the hearing and an optional hearing waiver indicating that the parent or guardian assents to the alleged violation and any recommended action. If a parent or guardian did not respond to the notice, the hearing would be waived.
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The local board of education will provide an electronic or written record of the hearing to each party in the hearing, upon request.
The student and his or her parent or guardian would be notified of the decision within five days of the hearing with a written record and instructions on the appeal process.
The bill passed with little discussion on Thursday with only Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia, asking about language for “per incident.”
Jerome Dees, Alabama policy director of the Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund, said in a statement Thursday that the law was an acknowledgment that student rights “do not stop at the school door.”
“While there is still more work to be done to address the “school-to-prison” pipeline in Alabama, especially for Black and Brown students, this is a major step in the right direction,” Dees wrote.
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The bill will go back to the House of Representatives for concurrence in Senate changes or a conference committee.
Alabama football is hosting an impressive group of 2027 recruits throughout this weekend. This is the first of several weekends the Tide will host top recruits for official visits.
So, will Alabama add a commit this weekend? This is very much possible, and there are a few prospects Touchdown Alabama has our eyes on.
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Justin Smith is the Managing Editor and Lead Writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine with over 10 years of writing experience & expertise. Smith has consistently delivered high quality, extensively researched information on the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide football team that fans can trust. Smith is official credentialed media with the University of Alabama under Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He is also the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Enterprises, specializing in scouting and analyzing high school recruits around the nation, specifically focusing on recruits within the state of Alabama.
OKLAHOMA CITY–– UCLA’s home run power made headlines all season, but it was Alabama’s super sluggers who stepped up in the biggest moments on the biggest stage during the Crimson Tide’s opening game of the Women’s College World Series.
No. 1 Alabama was trailing by two runs heading into the fifth inning of Thursday’s game before Alexis Pupillo tied it up with a two-run shot in the bottom of the frame.
The Tide had struggled with runners in scoring position all game, but when Alabama’s home run leader Brooke Wells stepped to the plate with two on in the sixth inning, she made sure that wasn’t going to happen again. In her first ever game at the WCWS, Wells hit one over the right field wall to give Alabama a three-run lead.
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That score would hold as No. 1 Alabama beat No. 8 UCLA 6-3 to move into the winners’ bracket at the WCWS.
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The moment meant a lot for Wells after she went without a hit during the super regional round against LSU. The team rallied around her, and head coach Patrick Murphy put a card in her locker at the beginning of the week.
“It was great to do it for these girls,” Wells said after the game. “These girls are so great. They had my back all last weekend, you know, how he said. It wasn’t the best weekend for me, but they never lost trust in me, they never lost faith in me. Murph gave me a card, the girls picked me up all weekend. I walked in here feeling as confident as ever. Didn’t really cross my mind anything that happened last weekend.”
This is the first trip to the World Series for both Wells and Pupillo as transfers into Alabama. Pupillo is in her final season and has now hit a home run in three straight postseason games and is up to 20 on the season.
“This is the moment that I’ve been waiting for since I was like eight years old,” Pupillo said. “I walked through the gates today, I kind of started tearing up for a second because it just felt surreal. I just remember watching Montana Fouts pitch in the World Series when she threw the perfect game. That moment of me when I was eight years old watching it on the TV, man, I really want to do that.”
Alabama junior ace Jocelyn Briski shut down the UCLA batting order the first time through, but the Bruins bats wouldn’t stay down for long. UCLA rallied for three runs on four hits, including two home runs, in the third inning to take a 3-1 lead.
She did not allow another run to the potent UCLA offense over the next four innings. Briski finished with nine strikeouts against a team that does not strike out much.
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“You could see they hit two home runs, we hit two home runs, but the ability to come up with those timely hits with runners on obviously makes a difference,” UCLA coach Kelly Inoyue-Perez said after the game.
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Coming into the matchup, Alabama knew UCLA would score. It just wanted to limit the damage, and Briski was able to do that.
Jena Young set the tone for the offense at the top of the lineup, reaching base four times with three hits. She scored in the first inning on an RBI-single from Alabama’s senior captain Marlie Giles, Pupillo’s home run and on the Wells’ home run in the sixth inning.
Alabama (55-7) will face the winner of Thursday night’s game between No. 4 Nebraska and No. 5 Arkansas on Saturday. Winning the first game sets the tone for the rest of the series and makes the path a lot smoother. Around 90 percent of previous college softball national champions win their opening game at the WCWS.
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Alabama plays UCLA on Thursday night in the third first-round game of the Women’s College World Series
The Alabama Crimson Tide battles the UCLA Bruins on Thursday night in a first-round game of the Women’s College World Series. The Crimson Tide comes into the World Series on a five-game winning streak after sweeping through the regionals and super regional. They fell short in the SEC Tournament, as they lost to Texas 7-1, but they have been great in the postseason. They have given up just one combined run in the five postseason games and have easily moved on to the World Series. They beat USC Upstate twice and Belmont once in the regional by a combined 20-0 score. They then swept rival LSU in the super regional by a combined 11-1 score. They now sit at 54-7 on the season and are one of the favorites to win the National Championship.
How to Watch Alabama vs UCLA College Softball Today:
Game Date: Thursday, May 28, 2026
Game Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
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The Bruins, though, are looking to knock off the Crimson Tide and pick up a huge first-round upset on Thursday night.
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The Bruins also swept through the regional and super regional and come into the World Series 52-8 on the season.
The Bruins also came up short in their conference tournament, as they lost to Nebraska, but, like the Crimson Tide, have been good in the postseason. They got tested by Cal Baptist in the first game of the regional, but since that game, they have outscored their opponents 55-8.
What Time Is Alabama vs UCLA College Softball Game?
Game 3: Alabama vs UCLA will take place on Thursday, May 28, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. ET. Tune in and catch some great College Softball action.
What Channel Is Alabama vs UCLA College Softball Game?
Looking to watch this game? Fans can tune into ESPN2 to see the action. Make sure you subscribe to Fubo now to watch this matchup, as well as numerous other sports leagues.
Live stream Alabama vs UCLA College Softball on Fubo:Start watching now!
