New Law Comes With Serious Consequences When Threatening Alabama Schools
By J. Thomas Wade
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News
July 7, 2026
MONTGOMERY, AL. You may not have heard about it, but a new law that was passed by legislators to protect students and staff in our schools, is now a reality.
The law puts more teeth into what happens when a person is arrested for threats against a school and it went live on July 1st, 2026.
The 2026 bill was sponsored by State Rep. James Lomax (R-Huntsville), who carried it after former State Rep. Matt Woods (R-Jasper) moved to the upper chamber.
Before the new law, making a terrorist threat in the first degree was considered a Class C felony, and a Class A misdemeanor in the second degree.
The law has now increased those penalties for first-degree terrorist threats to a Class B felony, punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison and a $30,000 fine, and making terrorist threats has been increased to a Class D felony if prior offenses have occurred.
The new law also defines “credible threat” as: “A knowing and willful statement or course of conduct, which, based on the totality of the circumstances, would cause a reasonable person to fear for their safety or the safety of another.”
In instances where a school receives a “credible threat,” a principal is now required by law to contact law enforcement.
No longer can school administrators make those decisions.
Woods began championing the bill in early 2025, after a wave of school threats plagued the state the previous year.
In late 2024, police across the state arrested well over a dozen juveniles for making online or in-person threats to multiple schools and nationwide, the threats have increased along with “swatting” in some incidents.
The law now allows serious consequences for those who intentionally spread fear and evil across our school campuses.
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