Committee rejects bill to mandate off-campus religious instruction during school day (SB278)

The State Government Committee held a public hearing on SB278, a Senate bill sponsored by Sen. Shellnut and presented in committee by Susan DeBose, that would have required public school districts to adopt a policy permitting students to attend off‑campus, voluntary religious instruction during the school day (often called "release time"). After testimony from proponents and opponents and a roll-call vote that resulted in a tie, the committee did not pass the bill.

Susan DeBose, presenting for Sen. Shellnut, summarized the bill and said it passed the Senate with bipartisan support. Proponents at the hearing described an existing model, LifeWise Academy, which one witness said is operating in nearly 600 schools nationwide with roughly 900 more preparing to launch. Sunny Cotton, Alabama State Director for LifeWise Academy, said the program is parent‑initiated, community‑sponsored and "must assume all cost and liability" and take place off school grounds.

Parents and supporters framed the bill as expanding parental choice. Jennifer Riggs, a parent from Madison County, said she and other families chose their local district for its schools and sought access to voluntary religious education without the financial burden of private schooling.

Opponents raised concerns about vague language and local control. Ryan Hollingsworth, executive director of the School Superintendents of Alabama, urged a no vote. He told the committee key terms in the bill were undefined — "core instruction," "religious instruction," and "sponsoring entity" — and argued the bill, as written, "is pretty wide open" to inconsistent implementation. Hollingsworth also said the petition signatures presented by proponents were a very small share of the state's roughly 725,000 students.

Other witnesses, including Scott Settle (president of the St. Clair County Board of Education) and a retired physician, Carter Harsh, opposed changing the law from the current permissive model (described in testimony as a 2019 "may" law) to a mandatory "shall" requirement for all districts. Settle said local boards did not want another state mandate and that the 2019 provision "works as it is." Harsh argued changing to a mandatory standard would reduce the patchwork of access and address equity for students who rely on school transportation.

Representative Bose (speaking in support) cited a 1952 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that he said upheld release‑time programs and said the programs have operated constitutionally in many states. Representative Paramore and others noted this bill had been considered previously in another committee. Representative Lance requested a roll-call vote; the committee conducted one and the result produced a tie. The chair noted a tie vote means a majority was not achieved and declared the bill failed in committee.

Because the committee vote ended in a tie, SB278 will not move forward from this committee at this time.