Bill > HB1628

This bill, known as the "New Hampshire Released Time Education Act," establishes a framework for public schools to provide excused absences for students attending religious instruction courses, called "released time courses." Under the bill, schools must adopt policies allowing students to be excused for up to 5 hours per week to attend such courses, with parental consent and specific conditions. These conditions include the sponsoring entity maintaining attendance records, providing transportation, assuming liability, and ensuring no school funds are used beyond minimal administrative costs. The bill also requires school districts to develop policies for potentially awarding academic credit for these courses, with credit determined by secular criteria such as instruction hours, course syllabus, assessment methods, and instructor qualifications. Importantly, the bill stipulates that time spent in released time courses will be counted as school attendance for funding and attendance purposes, and that the courses cannot be held on school property unless under a neutral access policy. The bill provides a mechanism for individuals or organizations to seek legal remedies if they believe a school district has violated these provisions. The act will take effect 60 days after its passage.

Education

https://gc.nh.gov/bill_Status/billinfo.aspx?id=2161&inflect=2