Bill Text: OH HB219 | 2011-2012 | 129th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: To permit public school students to attend and receive credit for released time courses in religious instruction conducted off school property during regular school hours.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 6-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-05-04 - To Education [HB219 Detail]

Download: Ohio-2011-HB219-Introduced.html

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As Introduced

129th General Assembly Regular Session 2011-2012

H. B. No. 219

Representative McClain 

Cosponsors: Representatives Huffman, Derickson, Ruhl, Newbold, Hayes 

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A BILL

To enact section 3313.6017 of the Revised Code to

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permit public school students to attend and

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receive credit for released time courses in

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religious instruction conducted off school

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property during regular school hours.

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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That section 3313.6017 of the Revised Code be	6
enacted to read as follows:	7

Sec. 3313.6017.  (A) As used in this section, "released time"	8
means a period of time during which a student is excused from	9
school to attend a course in religious instruction conducted by a	10
private entity off school district property.	11

(B) A school district board of education may adopt a policy	12
that authorizes a student to be excused from school to attend a	13
released time course in religious instruction, provided that each	14
of the following applies:	15

(1) The student's parent or guardian gives written consent.

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(2) The sponsoring entity maintains attendance records and	17
makes them available to the school district the student attends.	18

(3) Transportation to and from the place of instruction,	19
including transportation for students with disabilities, is the	20
complete responsibility of the sponsoring entity, parent,	21
guardian, or student.	22

(4) The sponsoring entity makes provisions for and assumes	23
liability for the student.	24

(5) No public funds are expended and no public school	25
personnel are involved in providing the religious instruction.	26

(6) The student assumes responsibility for any missed	27
schoolwork.	28

While in attendance in a released time course in religious	29
instruction, a student shall not be considered absent from school.	30
No student may be released from a core curriculum subject course	31
to attend a religious instruction course.	32

(C) A policy adopted under division (B) of this section may	33
authorize high school students to earn up to two units of high	34
school credit for the completion of a released time course in	35
religious instruction. In determining whether to award credit for	36
completion of such a course, the board shall evaluate the course	37
based on purely secular criteria that are substantially similar to	38
the criteria used to evaluate similar nonpublic high school	39
courses for purposes of determining whether to award credit for	40
such courses to a student transferring from a nonpublic high	41
school to a public high school. The decision to award credit for a	42
released time course of religious instruction shall be neutral to,	43
and shall not involve any test for, religious content or	44
denominational affiliation.	45

For purposes of this division, secular criteria may include,	46
but are not limited to, the following:	47

(1) The number of hours of classroom instruction time;

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(2) A review of the course syllabus that reflects course	49
requirements and materials used;	50

(3) The methods of assessment used in the course;

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(4) The qualifications of the course instructor.

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Notwithstanding division (C)(7) of section 3313.603 of the	53
Revised Code, high school credit awarded to a student for a	54
released time course in religious instruction may substitute for	55
the same amount of credit in subjects listed in that division.	56