Changes

'''Released Time''' programs in [[public school]]s allow students to leave during the school day for scheduled religious-related instruction or activities off-campus.  States allowing this as of 2024 include  Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Indiana, and Florida, typically at the discretion of local school boards. Many additional states also allow this, some providing academic credit for it such as in Utah (by administrative regulation).  

'''Released Time''' programs in [[public school]]s allow students to leave during the school day for scheduled religious-related instruction or activities off-campus.  States allowing this by statute as of 2025 include:

   

:Florida, Hawaii, Indiana (up to 2 hours per week),<ref>https://indianapublicradio.org/news/2025/05/new-indiana-law-expands-religious-education-time-relaxes-stem-licensing-shortens-bullying-alerts/?utm_source=chatgpt.com</ref> Iowa, Kentucky (at the discretion of the school board, and only one has approved as of Oct. 2025), Montana, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Wisconsin.

 

North Carolina enacted a law in 2026 authorizing local school boards to allow 1-4 hours '''''per week''''' of released time for public school students, depending on the time approved by the local school board.<ref>https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article316321190.html</ref> But under this new law a school board could choose not to allow any released time.

 

Most additional states also allow this if the local public school or school board approves. In some states academic credit is available for the released time instruction, as in Utah (by administrative regulation).  

Large providers of these services include [[LifeWise]] (based in [[Ohio]]) and School Ministries (based in [[South Carolina]]).

Large providers of these services include [[LifeWise]] (based in [[Ohio]]) and School Ministries (based in [[South Carolina]]).

== 25 states with no limitations on this ==

== 25 states with no limitations on this ==

These 25 states have no laws about released time, thereby leaving it up to local [[public schools]] or school boards:

These 25 states have no laws about released time, thereby leaving it up to local [[public schools]] or school boards:

{{cquote|Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada,

{{cquote|Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.<ref>https://twdpclaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Religious-Freedom-in-the-Public-Schools.7-31-14.pdf</ref>}}

New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.<ref>https://twdpclaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Religious-Freedom-in-the-Public-Schools.7-31-14.pdf</ref>}}

 

== See also ==

== See also ==

*[https://releasedtime.org/statelaws state-by-state listing]

*[https://releasedtime.org/statelaws state-by-state listing]

*[https://casetext.com/case/snyder-v-charlotte-schools Snyder v. Charlotte Pub. Sch. Dist., 421 Mich. 517, 540, 365 N.W.2d 151 (1984)]

*[https://casetext.com/case/snyder-v-charlotte-schools Snyder v. Charlotte Pub. Sch. Dist., 421 Mich. 517, 540, 365 N.W.2d 151 (1984)]

== References ==

== References ==

{{reflist}}

{{reflist}}

[[category:education]]

[[category:education]]