By CHRISTINE BOATWRIGHT / Staff Writer

An education bill passed by state legislators “won’t impact Shelby County at all,” said state Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster.

Gov. Robert Bentley announced Feb. 28 he will sign the Alabama Accountability Act of 2013, “a measure that will help ensure that more students have access to high-quality education,” according to a press release from Bentley’s office.

The bill allows for students in “chronically failing schools” to transfer to another school in the same school system, Ward said.

“There’s a school choice component in there,” Ward said. “There’s also a tax credit for private entities or businesses who wish to provide scholarships for kids to go to a private school.”

Ward said the bill will not affect teachers’ tenure or salaries.

“In Shelby County, this bill won’t have any impact, because none of our schools are chronically failing,” Ward said.