2023 Code of Alabama › Title 16 - Education. › Chapter 46 - Regulation of Certain Schools and Courses of Instruction. › Section 16-46-9 - Review by State Board of Education; Review by Circuit Court of Montgomery County.

Section 16-46-9
Review by State Board of Education; review by Circuit Court of Montgomery County.
Any person or school or private postsecondary institution aggrieved by the actions of the Department of Postsecondary Education with respect to exemption, issuance, denial, deferral, probation, suspension, or revocation of a license or permit provided for in Sections 16-46-3, 16-46-5, and 16-46-6, may file within 30 days a petition for review by the State Board of Education. The aggrieved person, school, or institution shall then be entitled to a hearing before the State Board of Education. The person, school, or institution may be represented by counsel at the hearing. The aggrieved person, school, or institution may adduce evidence, both oral and documentary, at such hearing and on official record if such hearing shall be transcribed by a qualified court reporter. After the State Board of Education acts on the petition for review, any person, school, or institution aggrieved by the State Board of Education's actions, within 30 days after receiving notice of any such action, may have such action reviewed by a writ of certiorari by filing in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County, Alabama, a verified petition setting out the specific action or actions of the State Board of Education by which the person, school, or institution is aggrieved. The court shall consider only such matters as are contained in the petition. Upon such petition being filed, a writ of certiorari shall be issued out of the court directly to the State Board of Education requiring it to file with the court the records and transcript of testimony upon which such action or order was made and requiring the board to file an answer to the petition within 30 days of service of the writ. Upon the board filing such answer, the issue shall be joined thereon without further pleading and the case considered on the petition, the records of the board, and the answer filed by the board, but no new or additional evidence shall be taken or heard by the court. If new or additional evidence is discovered by any party, after the hearing of the State Board of Education, the evidence may be made grounds for a motion for a new hearing before the State Board of Education under the rules applicable to similar laws for a new trial in the state courts of Alabama. Such court may suspend or stay such actions of the State Board of Education complained of in such petition, pending final hearing, only upon the petitioner executing a bond in such amount as the court deems reasonably sufficient to pay all costs of appeal if the petition is not sustained. In no case shall the bond be less than the reasonable cost of the transcript of the hearing before the State Board of Education that is being appealed. Upon final hearing, the court shall have jurisdiction to reverse, vacate, or modify the action complained of if, upon the consideration of the issues before the court, the court is of the opinion that the action is unlawful.
(Acts 1971, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 87, p. 4299, §10; Acts 1980, No. 80-272, p. 349, §1; Act 2004-282, p. 388, §1; Act 2014-245, p. 785, §5.)