Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires all local school boards to create policies to allow students to leave campus during school hours for off-site religious instruction in Alabama.

Highlights:

• Requires all local school boards to create policies to allow students to leave campus during school hours for off-site religious instruction in Alabama (Sec. ).

• Specifies that participation in the program would be entirely optional and would require written consent from a parent or legal guardian. Religious instruction providers would be responsible for transporting students to and from the instruction site and would assume full liability for the students while they are off school property (Sec. ).

• Prohibits the use of public funds for the religious instruction itself, but allows minimal administrative costs to be covered by the school system (Sec. ).

• Establishes provisions for oversight and record-keeping (Sec. ).

• Specifies that instruction providers would be required to maintain attendance records and submit them to the students’ respective public schools. Students may earn elective academic credit for their participation, subject to standards and guidelines set by the Alabama State Board of Education.

• Requires each school board to develop its own criteria and procedures for approval, which could result in differing practices across school districts.

• Requires that school boards with preexisting release time policies would not be forced to alter them under the new law (Sec. ).

• Specifies that the provisions of this bill shall take effect beginning July 1, 2025 (Sec. 2).

Full Bill Text