AN ACT TO DIRECT EACH LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD TO ADOPT A POLICY EXCUSING A STUDENT FROM SCHOOL TO ATTEND A RELEASED TIME COURSE FOR NO MORE THAN THREE CLASS PERIODS PER WEEK OR A MAXIMUM OF 125 CLASS PERIODS PER SCHOOL YEAR UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS; TO PROVIDE THAT THE STUDENT SHALL RECEIVE ELECTIVE CREDIT FOR TIME SPENT ATTENDING RELEASED TIME COURSES; TO PROVIDE RELIGIOUSLY NEUTRAL CRITERIA FOR A SCHOOL BOARD TO FOLLOW IN DETERMINING WHETHER CREDIT MAY BE AWARDED FOR A PARTICULAR RELEASED TIME COURSE; TO EXEMPT CHARTER SCHOOLS AND VIRTUAL SCHOOLS; TO AMEND SECTION 37-13-91, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CONFORM; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
Summary
SB 2101 requires each local school board in Mississippi to adopt a policy allowing students to be excused from school to attend a “released time course” in religious or moral instruction off campus. The bill limits participation to no more than three class periods per week or 125 class periods per school year, requires written parental consent (or student consent if a parent does not respond), and allows a parent or guardian to end participation at any time. It also bars the use of district funds, staff, equipment, or resources beyond minimal administrative costs, places transportation and liability responsibilities on the independent release entity or family, and requires the student to make up missed work.
Impact
The bill would add a new section to Title 37 governing school policy on released time instruction and would amend the compulsory attendance law to define “released time course” and “independent release entity.” Students attending these courses would still be counted as present for attendance purposes, and local school boards would be required to award elective credit for completed courses if the course is documented by a transcript and reviewed using neutral, secular criteria. The bill also exempts charter schools and virtual schools from the new requirement and takes effect July 1, 2026.
Sentiment
Based on the bill caption and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the measure appears to be framed as a school-choice and religious-accommodation bill. Its structure suggests support for allowing off-campus religious or moral instruction while preserving public-school neutrality, attendance accounting, and local scheduling discretion. No recorded opposition or vote history is included here, so the overall sentiment in the available record is limited to the bill’s sponsor-driven, permissive design.
Contention
The main points of potential contention are the religious nature of the instruction, the requirement that public schools grant elective credit, and whether the policy could create administrative burdens or conflicts with instructional time. Supporters are likely to emphasize parental choice, accommodation of religious education, and the bill’s secular criteria for credit review. Critics may focus on the use of public-school attendance time for off-campus religious instruction, the possibility of unequal treatment across school types, and the need to ensure the policy remains constitutionally neutral and does not entangle school districts in religious evaluation.