House Bill 445
Summary of HB 445
DESCRIPTION
Requires school districts to adopt a policy authorizing students to be excused from school to attend a released time course in religious instruction. TARGETS K-12 public schools |
PRIMARY SPONSORS
Rep. Al Cutrona Rep. Gary Click COMMITTEE House Primary and Secondary Education Committee STATUS Introduced: March 12, 2024 Passed House: Passed Senate: HEARINGS Watch Hearings | Read Testimony Sponsor Testimony BILL General Info | Bill Text | Analysis Amendments |
What does HB 445 do?
House Bill 445 changes the current law to require, instead of permit, school boards to adopt a policy authorizing students to attend a released time course in religious instruction conducted by a private entity off school district property during regular school hours.
Definition of "released time": 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.”
HB 445 changes current language from "may" to "shall":
- Current law: "A school district board of education may adopt a policy that authorizes a student to be excused from school to attend a released time course in religious instruction…”
- HB 445: “A school district board of education shall adopt a policy that authorizes a student to be excused from school to attend a released time course in religious instruction…”
All other provisions in the current law remain the same in HB 445
- Absences may be excused if all of the following conditions are met:
- The student’s parent or guardian provides written consent
- The sponsoring entity maintains attendance records and makes them available to the student’s school district
- The sponsoring entity, parent, guardian, or student, including a student with disabilities, takes complete responsibility for transportation to and from the place of instruction
- The sponsoring entity makes provisions for and assumes liability for the student
- No public funds are spent and no public school personnel are involved in providing the religious instruction
- The student assumes responsibility for any missed schoolwork
- The student may not be released from a core curriculum subject course to attend a religious instruction course
- While attending a religious release time program, a student cannot be considered or marked absent from school
- District policies may authorize high school students to earn up to two units of high school credit for the completion of a religious release time program
- In determining whether to award credit, the school board must evaluate the course based on purely secular criteria that are substantially the same criteria used to evaluate similar courses for a student transferring from a nonpublic high school to a public high school (religious release time courses do not need to be completed only at a nonpublic school)
- The decision to award credit for a religious release program must be neutral to (and must not involve any test for) religious content or denominational affiliation
- Secular criteria may include, but are not limited to:
- The number of hours of classroom instruction time
- A review of the course syllabus that reflects course requirements and materials used
- The methods of assessment used in the course
- The qualifications of the course instructor, which shall be similar to the qualifications of other teachers within the district
- “Notwithstanding division (C)(8) of ORC section 3313.603,” high school credit awarded to a student for a religious release program may substitute for the same amount of credit in subjects listed in that division.
- The school district, board of education members, and school district employees are not liable for injury allegedly arising during a student's transportation to or from a place of instruction when private transportation is used under a religious release time policy
Testimony
**Do NOT submit testimony until the appropriate hearing is announced**
HOW TO SUBMIT TESTIMONY
STEP 1:
PREPARE YOUR TESTIMONY
Read tips for preparing and submitting testimony HERE
STEP 2:
EMAIL TESTIMONY DOCUMENTS TO COMMITTEE
Email a PDF of your testimony & this completed Witness Slip to OHRPrimary&SecondaryEducationCommittee@ohiohouse.gov
**IMPORTANT**
Do NOT send your testimony until the appropriate hearing is announced.
You must submit your testimony 24 hours ahead of the scheduled hearing.
Indicate in your email that you are submitting testimony and ask for a confirmation of receipt.
All testimony will be uploaded HERE
STEP 3:
ARRIVE EARLY FOR IN-PERSON TESTIMONY
Arrive at least 1 hour prior to the scheduled hearing
There is convenient parking in the Statehouse Parking Garage