Bill > SB4

This bill amends Alabama's existing law on released time religious instruction, which allows public school students to attend off-campus religious education during the school day. The bill changes the law from permissive to mandatory, requiring local school boards to implement a policy allowing students to attend released time classes as an elective course, subject to specific conditions. These conditions include obtaining parental consent, maintaining attendance records, ensuring the sponsoring entity assumes liability, prohibiting public fund expenditure beyond minimal administrative costs, and preventing public school personnel from providing religious instruction. Students in grades where elective credits are awarded may earn course credit for participating in released time, with credit limited to the normal elective course credit in their school system. The bill explicitly prohibits releasing students from required core curriculum classes for released time and adds provisions that allow local school boards flexibility in implementing the policy while ensuring compliance with existing laws. The bill also grandfathers in existing released time policies adopted before July 1, 2026, and is set to become effective on that date. The legislation is based on a 1952 Supreme Court decision (Zorach v. Clauson) that upheld the constitutionality of released time programs for religious instruction.

Education

https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/bill-search