Alabama Senate committee hears support, opposition for religious instruction bill
The Alabama Senate Education Policy committee heard from critics and supporters of religious instruction in public schools on Wednesday.
SB 278, sponsored by Sen. Shay Shelnutt, R-Trussville, mirrors HB 342, sponsored by Rep. Susan DuBose, R-Hoover, which was rejected by the House Education Committee on April 2. The legislation requires local school boards to adopt a policy regarding released time religious instruction (RTRI). Alabama law already allows school boards to adopt a policy, but this legislation would mandate it.
'I just want to stress again that this is completely optional for students and requires parental consent,' Shelnutt said. 'They keep saying it takes away local control. This bill does not take away control of the local board. They have the right to make a policy and they can decide if they want to not do anything.'
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Ben Baker, superintendent of Dale County Schools, criticized the legislation, saying it does take away local control from school boards.
'School systems do not need more mandates. Current law leaves the decision to local school boards who are best positioned to determine whether release time instruction aligns with the needs of their community,' he said.
He said the lack of a definition for 'religious instruction' causes many issues and is a threat to his Christian values.
'When it says religious, am I now going to have to release students to go and sacrifice goats and worship goats or maybe some type of satanic thing? I can't live with that,' he said. 'Public schools are not run by out of touch bureaucrats. They're run by locally elected and appointed community members.'
Jennifer Riggs, a mother from Huntsville, shared her experience with LifeWise Ministry, a nonprofit that does RTRI.
'As I read about Lifewise I quickly became intrigued and convinced that this program could be the answer to meeting that long felt desire for my children, and others like mine, to have the Bible taught during their school day,' Riggs said.
Riggs said she became part of a steering committee for the ministry that, according to the sample curriculum, teaches the Christian belief that 'God created all things good' to a list of virtues that the nonprofit describes as 'LifeWise qualities.' She said her local school board denied her request to have RTRI.
'We then tried to present before our superintendent and we were told no he said there were too many mandates and requirements that we could not be accommodated,' she said.
Marty Griffin, a staff member at the First Baptist Church in Gulf Shores, said the Gulf Shores Superintendents Matt Akin denied the church's request for a RTRI program. A message seeking comment from Akin was left Monday afternoon.
'We believe their decision was driven by fear. Fear of if we approve this, what if this unusual situation happens,' Griffin said. 'We believe that a bill like SB 278 would alleviate that pressure from them to make that decision.'
Ryan Hollingsworth, the executive director of Alabama State Superintendents Association, said RTRI will take more time away from teachers. He said it should be the parent's responsibility to teach their children about religion on their own time.
'The State Board of Education put a lot of things in place that we have to teach during the school day. All we have in the school year is 1,080 hours,' he said. 'I think if you're a parent and that's a priority then you make sure in those hours that you have, those 7,680 hours that you have them, that you make that work.'
The committee did not vote on the bill, but the chair of the committee, Sen. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, said the committee will take up the legislation again soon.
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
An NFL Star Shared A Message From A Conservative Influencer. Fans Weren't Happy
An NFL Star Shared A Message From A Conservative Influencer. Fans Weren't Happy originally appeared on The Spun. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is taking some heat this week because of a post he shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. It turns out he posted content from a controversial conservative influencer. Jackson is entering the 2025 season with a ton of confidence - and rightfully so. He completed 66.7% of his passes last season for 4,172 yards with 41 touchdowns and four interceptions. The two-time MVP and four-time Pro Bowler also had 915 rushing yards and four scores on 139 carries. While there are plenty of football fans eager to see Jackson back on the gridiron, some people have changed their tune due to his social media activity. Earlier this week, Jackson shared the following message from Charlie Kirk: "It's all about Jesus." In case you're unfamiliar with his work, Kirk is the founder of a conservative student organization called Turning Point USA. He visits college campuses around the country to discuss political issues. He played a big role in helping Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2024. NFL fans are disappointed that Jackson shared Kirk's message. "Anybody but Charlie Kirk," one fan wrote on X. "Lamar whyyyy?" "I'm just gonna assume he doesn't know who tf this really is," a second fan commented. "Lamar Jackson is genuinely MAGA but no one will say anything," a third fan said. "Someone should remind a lot of these MAGA folk that the problem isn't that he reposted a quote about loving Jesus.. the problem is that he reposted that quote from a extreme white supremacist," a social media user wrote. Some people defended Jackson's social media activity. "What's the big deal here? Jesus is King," Fran Fraschilla said. "Is this the point we've come to? Criticizing someone bc of their religious beliefs? Just stop. Stay strong @Lj_era8 and keep being an example for so many in Baltimore & beyond," Sage Steele replied. "Taken heat for loving Jesus? Faith is a good thing. I'm guessing the critics have none," one person wrote on X. "Not a Christian but I don't see what's wrong w/ people sharing beliefs for those who want to consume. Might be difficult for atheists to understand, for religious, God is above politics," another person commented. Jackson has not addressed any of the backlash. Besides, he's getting ready for the Ravens' season opener. The Ravens will kick off their 2025 season on Sept. 7 against the Buffalo Bills. It'll be a rematch of last season's Divisional Round matchup. Jackson had 254 passing yards, 39 rushing yards, two touchdowns and an interception in Baltimore's 27-25 loss to Buffalo. We'd have to imagine that he's been thinking of that loss all offseason long. An NFL Star Shared A Message From A Conservative Influencer. Fans Weren't Happy first appeared on The Spun on Aug 19, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Aug 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
UPI
9 hours ago
- UPI
Oklahoma ads 'America first' teacher test for some new applicants
The U.S. Department of Education Headquarters is seen in Washington, D.C. The Oklahoma superintendent of education has created a test for teachers from New York and California applying to teach in his state. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Oklahoma plans to screen teachers from New York and California applying to work in the state with a new test to determine their views on a range of topics regarding their political ideology. Teachers from the two Democratic-leaning states will be required to provide approved answers to 50 multiple-choice questions on topics such as the the U.S. government, gender, religion and gender to teach in the state. Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, who announced the test requirement said New York and California have teaching standards that are "antithetical" to Oklahoma's. Teachers from New York or California who want jobs in Oklahoma will now have to take a special test to prove that they are not "woke indoctrinators." "We're not bringing in woke indoctrinators into the classroom," Walters told The Washington Post on Monday. "It's a very America-first approach." Walters told the education board that its members won't get to review the test for teacher candidates before it is implemented. Board member Chris Van Denhende asked Walters in July to ensure the policy "passes legal muster." "It sounds like we're on the edge," Van Denhende said. PragerU, a conservative non-profit, not a university, helped develop the multiple-choice test. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, told USA Today the test is going to be a "huge turnoff" for teachers. "Ryan Walters appears to be trying out for MAGA-in-chief, not educator-in-chief, because everything that he's doing is about the culture wars, not about the reading, writing and arithmetic," Weingarten said. "If he wants to be MAGA-in-chief then go be MAGA in chief. But let someone else be educator-in-chief and focus on other things people deserve, which is reading, literacy, and wraparound services -- and actual teachers who want to be in Oklahoma." Teachers' unions say it could make the state's teacher shortage worse because it would discourage applicants. And, Oklahoma's public education system for K-12 students ranks last, according to a study by WalletHub. In October 2024, Walters put out a call to purchase 55,000 Bibles, but they had to be leather-bound and have the U.S. founding documents in them, like the Trump Bible. He forced high-school teachers to teach students that there were "discrepancies" in the 2020 election. He also supported the unsuccessful effort to create the country's first public religious charter school in Oklahoma, but it caused a deadlocked Supreme Court ruling in May. "You're not gonna lie to kids about the influences Christianity had on American history," he told the New York Post on Friday, adding, "We want you to teach history appropriately." He also told the Post that the test is meant to ensure no one teaches "radical woke gender theory that goes against biology and science."
Politico
14 hours ago
- Politico
Scoop: How Dems are preparing to torch a megadonor fighting CA redistricting
Presented by MUNGER GAMES — Charles Munger Jr., the megadonor backing Republicans' effort to block Democrats from redrawing California's congressional map, has primarily been known to the public as the bow-tie-wearing champion of good-government causes like independent redistricting and legislative transparency. But there's a lesser-known aspect of Munger's financial giving that Democrats are preparing to torch him on. Munger, a Palo Alto physicist, has contributed more than $158,000 to socially conservative causes over the last 25 years, according to federal tax filings — including to organizations that oppose abortion rights and promote so-called crisis pregnancy centers, and to Christian groups whose leaders have opposed LGBTQ+ rights. Munger's spending, via his charitable nonprofit, is providing fodder to abortion-rights advocates and LGBTQ+ leaders in their effort to build support for Gov. Gavin Newsom's push to gerrymander California's congressional districts in favor of Democrats — a gambit that Newsom says will neutralize President Donald Trump's effort to nab five new Republican House seats in Texas. 'These are pretty terrible donations. He has given to organizations that have tried to strip away rights and demonize members of our community,' said Tom Temprano, managing director of Equality California, the state's largest LGBTQ+ advocacy group. Amy Thoma Tan, a spokesperson for Munger and the campaign opposed to the redistricting effort, said Munger's charitable foundation 'supports a wide variety of causes, particularly those who serve children and families who need extra support.' She added, 'But this campaign is about defending the rights of the voters of California to choose their politicians, not the other way around — anything else is a distraction.' Democratic forces want to make Munger — the wealthy son of Warren Buffett's longtime business partner — a central foil, along with Trump, as they try to convince Democratic voters to turn out for a Nov. 4 special election. Early polling suggests the proposal could be an uphill fight for the party. Munger's advisers say he has vowed to spend heavily to defend the state's independent redistricting commission, a system that he spent $12 million to expand through a successful 2010 ballot measure that gave it the authority to draw congressional boundaries. Good-government reforms have dominated much of Munger's civic spending. But IRS filings for his CNC Foundation, which he's funded with Berkshire Hathaway stock, outline a host of conservative causes. He gave: Jodi Hicks, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, is among those highlighting Munger's support of conservative causes. She has been at the forefront of Democrats' redistricting push and spoke at a news conference alongside Newsom last week. 'His contributions to those organizations speak to his values and the agenda he supports — an extreme agenda that hurts LGBTQ people, women and people of color,' Hicks said in a statement. GOOD MORNING. Happy Tuesday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. Like what you're reading? Sign up to get California Playbook in your inbox, and forward it to a friend. You can also text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as 'CA Playbook' in your contacts. Or drop us a line at dgardiner@ and bjones@ or on X — @DustinGardiner and @jonesblakej. WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. BIG NEWS: On Wednesday, Aug. 27, POLITICO is hosting its inaugural California policy summit. At The California Agenda, some of the state's most prominent political figures including Sen. Alex Padilla, Katie Porter and Xavier Becerra will share the stage with influential voices in tech, energy, housing and other areas to chart the path forward for a state at the forefront of critical policy debates. The live and streamed event is free, but advanced registration is required. Request an invite here. CAMPAIGN YEAR(S) THIRD TIME ISN'T THE CHARM — Democrat Will Rollins won't make a third run for Congress despite a proposed redrawn map that could make it easier for him to win a seat representing the Palm Springs area. Rollins called supporters Sunday night to share that he decided not to run due to the financial strain of running two back-to-back campaigns, according to a source familiar with his thinking who was granted anonymity to speak candidly. Late last week, Rollins briefly considered vying for the new 48th district, a 'lean Democratic' seat that combines a portion of deep-blue Palm Springs with rural parts of eastern San Diego and Riverside counties. Democrats drew the district to target incumbent Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, and Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar is weighing a rematch against him. Rollins, an attorney and LGBTQ+ activist, previously ran against Republican incumbent Rep. Ken Calvert — who would effectively be drawn out of his red-leaning Inland Empire seat under Democrats' proposed map. STATE CAPITOL FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: EAT YOUR HEART OUT — Jesse Gabriel's push to make California healthy again is making headway in the Legislature as amendments to his Assembly bill that would define what foods are considered ultraprocessed have caused some of its toughest critics to come around. 'We heard their concerns and we negotiated amendments and language,' Gabriel told POLITICO. 'I think that speaks to the importance of the process and the fact that we wanted to tighten and sharpen those definitions to make sure that we weren't inadvertently sweeping in healthy foods that we want kids to eat.' Key agricultural groups like the California Fresh Fruit Association that previously opposed AB 1264 due to concerns that the bill's definitions were too broad are now backing the legislation. Several other groups including the Western Growers Association have shifted their positions to neutral. The bill is in the Senate Appropriations Committee. 'Taking a step back, we really feel like California has helped to change the national conversation around food safety and around school nutrition,' Gabriel said. — Juliann Ventura REPUBLICANLAND ON THE BOOKS — Former California Republican Party Chair Jessica Millan Patterson's anti-redistricting campaign committee, which Playbook first reported on, has filed initial paperwork. It's called 'Stop Sacramento's Power Grab.' BALLOT COUNTER — Republican Assemblymember Carl DeMaio's political fundraising group Reform California filed an initiative that would bar state legislators who approve mid-decade redistricting efforts from serving in Congress for 10 years after. Big-money players on the Republican side are planning to focus instead on fighting the redistricting measure, but the group's ballot initiative draws attention to the personal stake that state legislators have in the redistricting wars. As POLITICO reported Friday, the redrawn maps that Senate leader Mike McGuire has endorsed would allow him to run for Congress when he terms out next year without waiting for Rep. Mike Thompson — whose seat he's said to be eyeing — to retire. McGuire is one in a long line of congressional aspirants in the Legislature, including state Sen. Scott Wiener, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains, who could end up running under the new lines, as Playbook previously reported. The partisan breakdown of Wiener's would-be 11th district wouldn't change under the map, while Rivas' would-be 18th district would grow slightly more Republican. Bains' challenge against frontline Republican Rep. David Valadao would become easier by design, though Bains signaled to KCRA that she wouldn't support the redraw. GAZA CRISIS FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: HUMANITARIAN AID — The California Legislative Jewish Caucus Leadership Foundation is donating $25,000 to groups that provide humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza. The contributions will go to IsraAID, chef José Andrés' nonprofit World Central Kitchen and Clean Shelter. They'll serve as a recognition of the wartime conditions in Gaza by the state Capitol's Jewish Caucus, members of which have become increasingly critical of how Palestinian civilians are being treated while reaffirming calls for Hamas to release its hostages. 'As proud Jews, we will continue to stand up for our people and push back against those who spread lies and propagate hate,' Gabriel and fellow Jewish Caucus co-chair Scott Wiener said in a statement. 'At the same time, Jewish tradition teaches that all life is sacred, and our hearts break for the innocent Palestinians, including so many children, killed in this devastating war and lacking food. In such moments, Jewish tradition calls on us to act.' CLIMATE AND ENERGY BACK TO SCHOOL — From meeting with Formula One officials about fossil fuel-free cars in the United Kingdom to touring recycling facilities in Canada, legislators kept busy over summer recess. As the Legislature reconvenes for a final sprint, read more about the trips and their takeaways in last night's California Climate. TOP TALKERS RETHINK THE RECALL — District 4 voters in San Francisco should reject the recall for Supervisor Joel Engardio, who's faced some backlash following the permanent closure of part of the Great Highway, and instead focus on 'broader structural changes' like charter reform, The San Francisco Chronicle's Editorial Board writes. A recall for Engardio, which is set for Sept. 16, is 'destined to have a chilling effect on bold moves' unless there's wider reform, the board says. SOUNDING THE ALARM — Officials in Anaheim issued a warning following immigration raids over the weekend that they described as 'the most significant and disruptive federal enforcement' the city has seen in weeks, The Los Angeles Times reports. Targeted enforcement in Anaheim has ratcheted up since mid-July when a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking federal agents from using racial profiling to carry out arrests, officials said. AROUND THE STATE — City workers have begun to clear one of San Jose's most prominent and longest-running homeless camps amid pushback from advocates and encampment dwellers to postpone the sweep. (The Mercury News) — Rep. Dave Min is facing backlash for a since-deleted social media post following the recent meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (The Orange County Register) — The Trump administration is quietly taking steps to circumvent federal laws in order to shield its multibillion-dollar deal to become the biggest stakeholder in a Las Vegas-based company operating the nation's only rare earths mine in California. (POLITICO) Compiled by Juliann Ventura PLAYBOOKERS SPOTTED: ON THE DIAMOND — State lawmakers competed in the annual NorCal vs. SoCal legislative softball game Monday evening at Sutter Health Park, the home of the River Cats and Athletics. NorCal took the contest 7-6, to a tipster's dismay. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Virginia Boney Moore, senior manager for public policy at Amazon and a Trump White House and NSC alum, and Andrew Moore, chief of staff to Eric Schmidt and a State Dept. alum, on Aug. 5 welcomed Margaret Roberts Moore, who came in at 6 lbs. 13 oz and 19 inches. Pic ... Another pic PEOPLE MOVES — The Western States Petroleum Association Board of Directors promoted Jodie Muller from COO to president and CEO of the oil industry group. Muller will on Sept. 1 succeed Catherine Reheis-Boyd, who will remain in an advisory role through the end of the year to aid with the leadership transition. — Rachel Tochterman is now comms director in the office of state Sen. Tom Umberg. She previously served as comms director for Rep. Ami Bera and as deputy chief of staff for former Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg. Playbook has not yet inquired what Tochterman thinks of Umberg bringing back his beard for the end of the legislative year. — H. James Abe has joined Buchalter as an intellectual property shareholder in their Los Angeles office. He was previously a partner at Alston and Bird. BIRTHDAYS — Symphoni Barbee, legislative advocate for Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California … Daniel McGreevy, comms director for Assemblymember Mia Bonta … Julius Genachowski of the Carlyle Group … Farhad Manjoo ... Meta's Eva Guidarini … Rob Damschen … Ari Johnson … BELATED B-DAY WISHES — (was Monday): Barbara Bluhm-Kaul ... Susan G. Golding ... Roger Zakheim ... (was Sunday): Sabrina Schaeffer … Andrew Pratt … Mark Molaro … (was Friday): Joshua Groban IN MEMORIAM — Former California Building Trades Council president Andrew Meredith has passed away, the labor group announced Monday. Meredith led the trades from 2021 to 2023, becoming one of the state labor movement's most recognizable voices, before moving onto a labor relations job in the offshore wind industry. WANT A SHOUT-OUT FEATURED? — Send us a birthday, career move or another special occasion to include in POLITICO's California Playbook. You can now submit a shout-out using this Google form.
