Release-time measure fails after heated committee debate over scope and state role

House Bill 11 39, which would have required school districts to adopt policies permitting off-campus religious "release time" instruction when parents request it, failed in committee after lengthy debate Wednesday.

Sponsor Rep. John McKenzie (sponsor identified in transcript) said the bill was modeled on existing U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence that allows parental choice for off-campus religious instruction, and designed to give districts clear statutory guidance so they could not deny parental requests. Supporters — including local volunteers and organizers with LifeWise-style programs — told the committee that release-time programs are privately funded, held off campus, and offer supplemental moral and character instruction. "When school districts prohibit release time programs they are preventing parents from making an important choice about their children's education," one proponent testified.

Opponents and some committee members raised constitutional and policy concerns. Several lawmakers on both sides of the aisle acknowledged the importance of religious liberty but said codifying a state statutory requirement could be unnecessary because the Supreme Court has already recognized the practice; others warned the bill risked creating state-level regulation that could expand in unforeseen ways. Rep. Hope Duke, who has decades of experience with release-time programs in her district, said she supported the principle but expressed concerns that the bill could grow into a broader state role. "This is a delicate issue that has to be done right," she said, and ultimately told the committee she would not vote for the bill.

After the debate the committee voted; the bill failed. Supporters said they would continue to work with districts and advocates to expand release-time options where locally appropriate.