By Michael Gryboski, Editor Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Alabama has approved a law permitting public school students to attend off-campus religious instruction during school hours, a program commonly known as "released time." 

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed Senate Bill 248, or the Alabama Released Time Credit Act, last Wednesday.

“The State Board of Education and each local board of education shall allow a parent or guardian to choose for his or her student to attend a religious released time program conducted by a sponsoring entity,” the law states.

“Released time instruction and activities are not sponsored by the local board of education and do not fall under the supervision, control or authority of the local board of education or its employees.”

The legislation states that school officials may prohibit released time instruction if they have “a reasonable belief based on objective evidence that permitting a student to attend a released time program would pose a substantial risk of physical harm to the student or that the sponsoring entity is in violation of state law in a manner that poses a substantial risk of physical harm to a student.”

Additionally, released time may be denied if it “would cause the student to be excused from the minimum instructional time for any course or subject as prescribed by the State Board of Education, or from any student intervention required under state or federal law.”

“Nothing in this section shall be construed to ... endorse any religious belief, practice, or instruction by the State Board of Education or any local board of education [or] limit the authority of local boards of education to tailor the policies addressed in this section to meet their specific needs,” the act states.

Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Greg Chafuen commended Alabama lawmakers for their actions.

“Parents have the right and responsibility to guide the upbringing and education of their children,” Chafuen said in a statement. “The government shouldn’t stop families from raising their children in their family’s faith.”

“S.B. 248 respects parents’ educational decisions, allowing public school children to be briefly excused from school to receive free, off-campus religious instruction taught by private charitable organizations.”

In 1952, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Zorach v. Clauson that released time programs were constitutional, stating that there was “no constitutional requirement which makes it necessary for government to be hostile to religion and to throw its weight against efforts to widen the effective scope of religious influence.”

“When the state encourages religious instruction or cooperates with religious authorities by adjusting the schedule of public events to sectarian needs, it follows the best of our traditions,” the opinion states.

“To hold that it may not would be to find in the Constitution a requirement that the government show a callous indifference to religious groups.”

Critics of released time argue that the practice disrupts the learning environment and that such religious instruction could instead take place after school hours.

In October 2024, the Ohio-based Westerville City School Board voted 4-0, with one abstention, to discontinue its local released time program. Board President Kristy Meyer said at the time that she had “significant concerns about the distractions caused by pulling kids out of school during the middle of the day.”

“I want to make one thing very clear: the concern around this policy has nothing to do with any specific religion or religious programs in general,” Meyer said.

“It’s about utilizing the time we have with students in school to focus on educating them and minimizing disruptions to the school day for students, teachers and staff.”

News Source : https://www.christianpost.com/news/alabama-will-allow-released-time-for-religious-instruction.html