Ala. Senate delays school flexibility bill

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A school flexibility bill recently passed by the Alabama House won't come up in the Senate until at least Thursday.

The Senate's Republican leadership had planned to ask the Senate to pass the bill Tuesday. But Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, says they decided to wait because three Republican senators were either absent or late Tuesday. He says he hopes to bring up the bill Thursday.

It is one of the goals for the Legislature's Republican majority this session. The bill would allow school systems to have flexibility in complying with many state education laws, provided the changes are approved by the State Board of Education. The primary issue over the bill is whether to allow flexibility with teacher tenure laws.