Released Time Continues to Expand in Arkansas Public Schools

Education, , ,

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette recently reported that released time continues to expand in public schools throughout the state.

Released time makes it possible for students to be excused from school so they can attend Bible studies or other religious classes during normal school hours. Thanks to federal court rulings, released time programs have been in operation for decades — including in Arkansas.

Generally speaking, released time in Arkansas requires three components:

  1. A church or other organization that wants to fund and conduct a released time program off-campus.
  2. School board approval for a policy authorizing students to leave campus for released time during school hours.
  3. Parental consent for the student to participate in the program.

Once a church or other group properly plans and prepares to operate a released time program, they can go to the local school board to seek approval and then collaborate with the school district to set the best time in the day for a released time program.

As long as the program meets off-campus, obtains parental consent, and is privately funded, then the school board may authorize the program.

The private entity that oversees the released time program is encouraged to work with the local school district and school board to set up a mutually agreeable schedule that benefits students. If planned correctly, released time programs generally do not conflict with a student’s core courses like math or English.

Earlier this summer, the organization LifeWise Academy shared ways it is expanding released time opportunities for students in Arkansas. LifeWise serves more than 1,200 students at approximately a dozen locations across the state. The program is expected to continue to grow in the coming year.

Family Council hopes to work with state and local policymakers in the future to promote released time programs and help pass a law formally recognizing released time in Arkansas.

If you are interested in starting a released time program in your community, you are welcome to contact our office at 501-375-7000 for more information.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Federal Government Strengthens Religious Liberty Protections

Religious Freedom, ,

The U.S. Department of Justice has issued updated guidance directing every federal agency to protect the free exercise of religion.

Religious liberty is recognized and protected under the First Amendment, and it is one of the hallmarks of our nation. But religious freedom has repeatedly come under attack in court, in government, and elsewhere.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the updated guidance on July 23. It is the first change to the DOJ’s religious liberty guidelines since 2017, and it reflects nearly a decade of important U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have expanded protections for people of faith.

The updated guidance includes several important protections. It reaffirms that the government cannot interfere in how churches and religious organizations govern themselves. It protects parents’ right to direct the religious upbringing of their children. It also ensures that religious organizations can compete for federal contracts and grants on equal footing with secular organizations — without being forced to give up their religious identity or hiring practices.

It also makes clear that religious exercise is not just about what people believe in private — it includes how people live out their faith in daily life.

Over the years, wedding venues, bakeries, photography studios, and florist shops have been dragged into court simply because their owners wanted to operate according to their deeply held convictions.

People of faith have faced pressure to check their convictions at the door in order to participate in government programs. This guidance pushes back against that.

Nobody should be forced to choose between their religious convictions and their livelihood, and nobody should be punished for obeying their conscience.

The free exercise of religion is a fundamental right — and it deserves to be treated that way at every level of government.

Arkansas is currently ranked number one in the nation on religious liberty by First Liberty Institute’s Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy. That ranking reflects years of hard work by Arkansas’ lawmakers who have passed strong protections for the free exercise of religion. For example, Arkansas’ Religious Freedom Restoration Act is one of the best in the country.

Strong federal guidance like this works hand in hand with strong state laws like Arkansas’. Together, they help ensure that Arkansans don’t have to worry about being forced to violate their faith.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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