By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery, AL – The state Legislature is considering a bill that would lower the mandatory school starting age from seven to five. A House committee has already approved it, and now it's awaiting consideration by the full House. Its sponsor, Representative Priscilla Dunn, is a retired elementary school teacher. She says some poor families let their children skip kindergarten. She says that's a disadvantage for those children. But the idea doesn't have unanimous support. Representative Jeremy Oden says some children aren't ready to start school at the age of five.