| | Two central Ohio school districts, Westerville and Worthington, recently rescinded their religious release time policy. Both districts formerly allowed LifeWise Academy to take public school students off-campus for Bible classes during school hours.<ref name="Capital Journal"/>}} | | Two central Ohio school districts, Westerville and Worthington, recently rescinded their religious release time policy. Both districts formerly allowed LifeWise Academy to take public school students off-campus for Bible classes during school hours.<ref name="Capital Journal"/>}} |
| − | In late 2024, Ohio H.B. 8 was amended in the Senate Education Committee to make the allowance of religious release time during the school day in [[public school]]s, such that this new law (if signed by Gov. [[Mike DeWine]]) requires "school districts to work with religious release time organizations to pick a time to offer the course during the school day."<ref name="Capital Journal"/> | + | In 2025, Iowa, Montana, Ohio and Texas enacted new laws establishing the right to released time, with parental approval, for children to leave [[public school]] during the school day for free, off-site religious programs, including [[Bible]] study. These four states join eight others that already require school districts to accommodate released time religious instruction: Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Wisconsin. |
| | + | The Ohio law, which began in 2024 as H.B. 8, requires "school districts to work with religious release time organizations to pick a time to offer the course during the school day."<ref name="Capital Journal"/> It took effect on April 9, 2025. |