Pickerington board adopts release-time religious instruction policy, limits apply to graded courses

The Pickerington Local School District Board of Education adopted Policy 05/2023 on release time for religious instruction at its April 7 regular meeting, approving the measure by a 5-1 vote.

The policy change adds language that ‘‘the board deems all graded courses to be core curriculum, including, but not limited to, courses that have state approved learning standards,’’ a provision board members said is intended to make clear which classes count as instructional time and therefore should not be missed for release-time programs.

Parents who spoke during public participation urged the board to limit release time to noninstructional periods, such as lunch and recess, to avoid students missing specials like art, music, gym and library. ‘‘When large groups of students are missing out on those, I think everyone misses out on the benefit,’’ said Lisonbee Donnell, who identified herself as a Pickerington resident and parent. Mary Johnson, another parent, told the board she supported language that would limit release time to lunch and recess and expressed concern about how attendance records would be tracked and who would retain them.

Board members and district staff described two key implementation points: the policy will not require the district to audit outside organizations’ background checks, and the district will treat graded courses as core curriculum for purposes of determining whether students may be released. Board legal counsel recommended leaving the responsibility for background checks with the outside organization rather than imposing a district auditing requirement; the policy as approved does not place an auditing obligation on the district.

District administrators told the board that combined lunch and recess at the elementary level amounts to roughly 45 minutes; they also said Lifewise Academy — an outside provider that has discussed running release-time programming in Pickerington — had previously proposed starting at the elementary level. The administration said it will work with buildings to manage sign-out procedures and logistics if programs begin. A board member reminded the public that the district has had a release-time policy in place since 2016 and said that recent changes reflect discussions around larger groups of students leaving campus.

During discussion a board member noted there is a separate pending legislative proposal referenced during the meeting that, if enacted, could set different statewide minimum requirements for release time; the board did not act on that external proposal and limited its action to the district policy before it.

The motion to adopt Policy 05/2023 carried on a roll call in which Mr. Henson voted no and the remaining present board members voted yes. The board directed administration to implement the policy and manage operational details, including tracking students leaving and returning during the school day.

Parents at the meeting also asked how the district will enforce the policy if an outside provider violates the rules; the board suggested those questions be followed up by administration, which will be responsible for enforcement and logistics.

The new policy text, as discussed at the meeting, emphasizes graded courses as core curriculum, leaves background-check attestations with outside providers, and instructs building administrators to manage sign-out and student-tracking procedures.

Board members indicated they will monitor the implementation and may return to the policy if implementation challenges require changes.