Parents wishing to home school their children in the state of Alabama can choose from one of two state-recognized options. They can either educate their children in a church school or use a private tutor. In either case Alabama does not require any specific curriculum or testing. At the time a student begins private instruction, however, parents must notify the school district that they are educating the child at home.
According to an article on the Home School Legal Defense Association website, a church school operates as a "ministry of a local church or a group of churches." In such a school, parents become the teachers of their own children, and the church school requirement facilitates the home schooling under Alabama law as of 2010. Parents can contact a local church to create a church school in their area if one does not currently exist.
A child who attends a church school is exempt from Alabama's compulsory attendance law, which says that all children between the ages of 7 and 17 must attend public school for 180 days each year. Parents must keep records of the child's attendance at the church school, however, and if the school district believes a family is not in compliance with the law, the district will give the family 3 days' notice before filing criminal charges. Other than requiring attendance records, Alabama law specifically forbids the state from regulating a church school. There is no certification required for teachers in a church school, nor are there any minimum education requirements for these teachers.
Parents may also hire a state-certified private tutor instead of educating their children at a church school. With this option, the tutor must provide instruction at least 140 days of every calendar year, for a minimum of 3 hours per day, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The private tutor must file a statement of instruction with the county superintendent that identifies the child receiving the tutoring, the subjects the tutor is teaching and the specific grade or semester the tutor is teaching. The state does not require curriculum approval as long as the instruction is within the scope of the tutor's certification. The tutor must also keep complete attendance records and a portfolio of the child's work to present to the State Board of Education at the board's request.