North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina Senate Bill S92 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
2	2		SESSION 2025
3		-	S 1
4		-	SENATE BILL 92
	3	+	S D
	4	+	SENATE BILL DRS15041-NH-8A
	5	+
5	6
6	7
7	8		Short Title: Released Time Education Act. (Public)
8	9		Sponsors: Senators Hanig, Alexander, and Ford (Primary Sponsors).
9		-	Referred to: ~~Rules and Operations of the Senate~~
10		-	~~February 13, 2025~~
11		-	~~S92-v-1~~
	10	+	Referred to:
	11	+
	12	+	DRS15041 -NH-8A
12	13		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
13	14		AN ACT TO ALLOW PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS TO BE RELEASED DURING THE 2
14	15		INSTRUCTIONAL DAY TO ATTEND COURSES IN RELIGIOUS MORAL 3
15	16		INSTRUCTION. 4
16	17		The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
17	18		SECTION 1. Article 7B of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by 6
18	19		adding a new Part to read: 7
19	20		"Part 8. Courses and Credits. 8
20	21		"§ 115C-78.3. Released time courses. 9
21	22		(a) The following definitions apply in this section: 10
22	23		(1) Released time course. – A course in religious moral instruction taught by a 11
23	24		sponsoring entity that a student attends during the instructional day. 12
24	25		(2) Sponsoring entity. – An organization that provides released time courses. 13
25	26		(b) Released Time Course Policy. – The governing body of a public school unit may 14
26	27		adopt a policy to allow students to attend a released time course for at least one but no more than 15
27	28		five hours per week. At a minimum, the policy shall require that: 16
28	29		(1) A student's parent or legal guardian gives written consent for the student to 17
29	30		attend the released time course. 18
30	31		(2) Transportation to and from the location of the released time course, including 19
31	32		transportation for students with disabilities, is the complete responsibility of 20
32	33		the sponsoring entity, parent or legal guardian, or student. 21
33	34		(3) No federal, State, or local funds, other than minimal administrative costs 22
34	35		incurred by facilitating the released time course policy, are expended in 23
35	36		providing the released time course. 24
36	37		(4) Students assume responsibility for any missed schoolwork. 25
37	38		(5) Released time courses are not to be held on school property unless permitted 26
38	39		under a neutral policy of equal access opening school property for use by 27
39	40		community groups. 28
40	41		(6) Students shall not be considered absent from school while attending a released 29
41	42		time course. 30
42	43		(c) Credit for Released Time Courses. – Notwithstanding any State Board of Education 31
43	44		rules, as part of a governing body of a public school unit's released time course policy, the 32
44	45		governing body may allow the awarding of up to two elective course credits to a student who 33
45	46		successfully completes a released time course in accordance with the following: 34
46	47		(1) A student's participation in a released time course but failure to earn credit 35
47		-	shall not be denoted as a fail on the student's transcript. 36 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
48		-	Page 2 Senate Bill 92-First Edition
	48	+	shall not be denoted as a fail on the student's transcript. 36
	49	+	FILED SENATE
	50	+	Feb 12, 2025
	51	+	S.B. 92
	52	+	PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
	53	+	Page 2 DRS15041-NH-8A
49	54		(2) In determining how much credit to award for completion of a released time 1
50	55		course, the governing body of the public school unit shall evaluate the course 2
51	56		based on purely secular criteria that are substantially the same criteria used to 3
52	57		evaluate similar courses. The decision to award credit for a released time 4
53	58		course shall be neutral to, and shall not involve any test for, religious content 5
54	59		or denominational affiliation. For purposes of this section, secular criteria may 6
55	60		include the following: 7
56	61		a. The number of hours of classroom instruction time. 8
57	62		b. A review of the course syllabus that reflects course requirements and 9
58	63		materials used. 10
59	64		c. The methods of assessment used in the course. 11
60	65		d. The qualifications of the course instructor, which shall be similar to 12
61	66		the qualifications of other teachers within the public school unit. 13
62	67		(d) Duties and Responsibilities of Sponsoring Organizations. – An organization that 14
63	68		provides a released time course shall do the following: 15
64	69		(1) Maintain attendance records and make the records available to the public 16
65	70		school unit the students enrolled in the course attend. 17
66	71		(2) Upon request of a governing body of a public school unit that has students 18
67	72		taking or seeking to take a released time course from that organization, 19
68	73		provide a copy of the syllabus for the course. 20
69	74		(3) Make provisions for and assume liability for students while they are under 21
70	75		supervision of the sponsoring organization." 22
71	76		SECTION 2. This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with 23
72	77		the 2025-2026 school year. 24