MONTGOMERY — Members of the Senate passed K-12 off-campus religious instruction legislation on Tuesday.
Senate Bill 278, sponsored by State Sen. Shay Shelnutt (R-Trussville), requires each local board of education to implement a policy allowing students released from the classroom to attend elective religious instruction during the school day to earn elective credit.
Programs proposed under the legislation would utilize only private dollars, not taxpayer dollars, and no school personnel would be involved in providing the religious instruction.
"Many of you have asked: why do we need this bill since we passed a law in Alabama in 2019 allowing school districts to enact policies? Since that time, very few school districts have adopted release time policies. Currently, there are twelve. Nineteen more school districts have policies coming. We know there is a demand by parents for more programs. Four thousand five hundred parents have signed a petition for a religious release program. We have over 100 districts that have expressed an interest but do not have a policy in place. Parents are approaching superintendents and school boards throughout the state and are being told no," Shelnutt said on the Senate floor on Tuesday.
The bill passed by a 25-6 margin. All the no votes were from Democrats. It will now go to the House for consideration.
A similar bill by State Rep. Susan DuBose (R-Hoover) failed to pass a House committee earlier in April.
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