COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH) — Some groups are pushing to let students take religious courses during the school day and two bills at the Ohio Statehouse could make it mandatory for public schools to give students the option of having “released time.”
“Released time,” as currently defined in state law , means “a period of time during which a student is excused from school to attend a course in religious instruction conducted by a private entity off school district property.”
Currently, the law says a “school district board of education may adopt a policy.” The legislation changes “may” to “shall.”
The legislation has brought out more than 100 supporters to the Ohio Statehouse, and dozens of opponents, though in-person testimony was limited to three people on each side.
Parents like Jaclyn Fraley, who has a first grader, said she first heard about the program at the park with her daughter.
“A mother asked what school she was going to, and I mentioned her school, and the mother said, ‘Oh, are you going to be having her attend LifeWise,’” Fraley said.