Under current Alabama law, local school boards have the authority to decide whether or not students can receive elective credit for attending private religious instruction during the school day. A new bill prefiled for the 2026 legislative session would remove that authority, instead mandating that all local boards of education must grant elective credit for religious classes taken during the school day in released time programs.
Senate Bill 4, prefiled by state Sen. Shay Shelnutt, R-Trussville, “would require each local board of education to implement a policy allowing elective credit to students who are released from the classroom to attend religious instruction during the school day, provided each local board of education may tailor the policy to meet their needs.”
The bill specifically defines “released time” as “a period of time during the school day when a student is allowed to participate in an elective course in religious instruction, conducted off school district property, by a private entity.”…