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Release‑time religious instruction bill draws constitutional and administrative questions
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Summary
HB 16 28 would require districts to excuse students to attend privately funded, off‑campus religious instruction and allow credit at local discretion; proponents say programs like LifeWise can operate without school funds, while school boards and some members raised concerns about crediting, transportation, IDEA/FAPE and administrative burden.
Representative Wayne McDonald, prime sponsor of HB 16 28, told the committee the bill would permit parents to request that public schools excuse students for privately funded, off‑campus religious instruction for one to five hours per week and would leave credit and implementation to local districts.
"Release time courses are not to be held on school property," he said, stressing the bill intends separation and that sponsoring entities would maintain attendance records and assume transportation and liability.
Michael Fox, director of the Lifewise Academy program, described a pilot partnership in Milford in which the provider supplies buses, background‑checked staff, and programming during lunch or free periods. Lifewise and other proponents argued the approach is constitutional and already in practice nationally and could expand parents' options.
Opponents, including Becky Wilson of the New Hampshire School Boards Association, cautioned that the bill would mandate acceptance of credits and excused absences in ways that could undermine local control and create sizable administrative burdens. Witnesses pressed sponsors on several points: whether the bill would apply to all grade levels, who would determine credit and instructor qualifications, transportation responsibility for students with IEPs, how courts and federal obligations (IDEA/FAPE) intersect, and whether background checks should be required by statute for outside providers.
Representatives asked whether the bill should remove the credit provision as an amendment; sponsors indicated openness to adjustments. The committee closed public testimony and moved on to the next item.
