Committee hears hours-long debate on bill to allow release-time religious classes for academic credit

House Bill 343, brought to the House Education Committee by Representative Brandon Gregg, drew extended testimony and sharp questioning on whether public school districts should be required to award elective academic credit for off‑campus religious “release‑time” instruction.

Gregg opened the hearing by saying HB 343 would let released religious instruction count for academic credit “using secular criteria to ensure consistency and fairness,” and argued the change would help keep families who value religious instruction enrolled in public schools. “By allowing released religious instruction to count for academic credit under neutral, educationally focused requirements,” he said, the bill would let students continue participation without risking graduation requirements.

Proponents emphasized longevity and perceived benefits. Matt Sharp, senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom, told the committee release‑time programs “have been taught at schools across the country for over 100 years” and cited research he said showed improved attendance, behavior and reading scores in some jurisdictions. Derek a Streicher, identified in the transcript as chief legal counsel for the Montana Family Foundation, said two substantive changes in HB 343 are capping hours at about 60 minutes per week and removing a local board veto to empower parental choice.

Opponents focused on local control and constitutional risk. Rob Watson of the Coalition of Advocates for Montana’s Public Schools said he did not oppose off‑campus release time itself but objected to sections that would require districts to award credit, saying that “decisions regarding the awarding of academic credit…should remain under the purview of the locally elected trustees.” Deborah Silk of the Montana School Boards Association warned the bill’s requirements for districts to review course quality and instructor qualifications could create impermissible entanglement with religion and administrative burdens for already‑strained school staff.

Informational witnesses and committee members probed implementation details. McCall Flynn, executive director of the Board of Public Education, confirmed accreditation rules and minute‑equivalency standards are in place (the transcript cites an 8,100‑minute equivalency for a full credit) and noted many districts already permit some release time under current law (Mont. Code Ann. 20‑1‑308), which currently reads that districts "may" allow such programs. Committee members repeatedly asked what the bill’s phrase “secular criteria” would require; proponents said districts could adopt neutral standards such as instructor qualifications (if they choose), syllabi, number of instructional hours, testing, and other academic measures, and that courts in other states have upheld similar statutes.

Members raised practical concerns about rural districts: if a small community has very few certified teachers in a faith community, would students be able to meet any certification requirement proponents say districts may set? Proponents replied the bill preserves local flexibility and that districts could use a range of neutral criteria beyond certification.

No committee vote was taken on HB 343 during the hearing. Committee members closed the hearing after sponsor remarks; the committee adjourned. The bill remains in the House Education Committee for further consideration.

Ending: The hearing produced a clear split: proponents argued HB 343 removes barriers for families while preserving neutral academic review, and opponents warned the statutory changes could override locally elected trustees’ authority and risk establishment‑clause entanglement. The committee did not act on the bill; next steps were not set during the session recorded in the transcript.