Latest news with #RTRI
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama Republicans and the religious instruction bill: It's complicated
Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth addresses former Senate President Pro Tem Greg Reed, R-Jasper, from the dais of the Alabama Senate on Feb. 4, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. Ainsworth took to social media to condemn his Republican colleagues that voted against a bill that requires local school boards to adopt a policy on released time religious instruction. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) After an Alabama House committee failed to move a bill requiring local school boards to adopt a policy on released time religious instruction (RTRI), Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth took his disappointment to social media. 'The Republican State Senate, Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, and I supported a bill allowing public school students to take off-campus Bible study classes as an elective, but lobbyists for the Superintendents and School Board associations, which oppose the measure, blocked its passage in House committee today,' Ainsworth, a strong supporter of the legislation, wrote in a Facebook post. And then Ainsworth went further. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The lieutenant governor posted a photo of the State Government Committee clerk's notebook, where the vote was tallied, in the comment section of his Facebook post. The nos included Republican members, and Rep. Chris Sells, R-Greenville, chair of the committee, asked Ainsworth to take the photo down. 'I just stood up for my members … I'm gonna try to protect my people. I mean, they voted, how they voted. It was on video, and it's in the record. I mean, it's not like you can't find it,' Sells said in a phone interview Friday. 'But that was like adding fuel on the fire to me.' The comment thread with the photo, later deleted, pointed to the divisions among Republicans over the legislation and passions that it raises. Republicans on the committee said in interviews last week they had several concerns over the legislation and the way it got in front of them after an identical bill was rejected by another House committee. 'I had heard from three of my four superintendents that they were not in favor of the bill, as is,' said Rep. Russell Bedsole, R-Alabaster, one of three Republicans to vote against the bill in committee Wednesday. Messages seeking comment were left Friday with Ainsworth and House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, who put the bill in committee. The Legislature passed a law in 2019 that allows school boards to adopt a policy on released time religious instruction (RTRI). SB 278, sponsored by Sen. Shay Shelnutt, R-Trussville, would have mandated that districts adopt those policies. The bill passed the Senate Education Policy Committee on April 16 with one 'no' vote, and passed the Senate 25-6 on April 22. But shortly after the Senate bill was filed, House members rejected HB 342, sponsored by Rep. Susan DuBose, R-Hoover, an identical bill, on a 9-4 vote. Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, chair of the House Education Policy Committee, said in an interview she would not take the Senate version in her committee. 'I don't know why we'd take up a bill that didn't have the support,' Collins said on April 30. Collins cited opposition from education groups as part of the reason for the defeat. Education groups have cited a host of concerns, ranging from a lack of definitions of religion in the bill to liability questions to a lack of knowledge about both certifications and curricula in RTRI programs. The Alabama Association of School Boards has been a consistent opponent. Executive Director Sally Smith said in March she thought the program would create an uneven playing field for students. 'We just don't think that would be a level playing field,' Smith said in March. 'We don't have any authority under the legislation to determine the rigor or whether it merits the same level of credit.' Bedsole said superintendents in his district saw no need for the bill. 'They were operating perfectly fine under the 2019 legislation that permitted them to enact policies to do the same thing,' he said. 'The only lobbyists I spoke with were those who were proponents for the bill.' Bedsole said he is supportive of religion in schools, but LifeWise Academy, a nonprofit that offers RTRI and has lobbied for the legislation, could not answer his questions. 'One of my specific questions is when we talk about religion, what religion was, the definition of religion and who would be considered a religion for the purposes of this bill,' Bedsole said. 'Nobody had an answer that I felt like gave me any comfort in knowing that if a local school board created a policy and somehow it excluded a certain religious group that they wouldn't be subject to a lawsuit.' According to LifeWise's sample curriculum, the organization teaches the Christian belief that 'God created all things good' to a list of virtues that the nonprofit describes as 'LifeWise qualities.' Sunnie Cotton, the Alabama director, said Wednesday the organization is operating in about 600 schools nationwide and is prepared to launch over 900 programs this year. Rep. Marcus Paramore, R-Troy, who serves on both of the committees that rejected the bill, said Wednesday the superintendents in his district are not supportive of the legislation. 'I know this was in Ed Policy, which you and I both serve on, and we know what the outcome of that committee meeting was,' Paramore said to DuBose, who handled the legislation Wednesday. 'So here we are in another committee, trying to get a bill that was voted down back out, and on the floor in a different format.' Messages seeking comment were left Friday with Parramore and Rep. Mike Kirkland, R-Scottboro, the other Republican to vote against it. Ainsworth went on a radio show Friday morning and claimed members let lobbyists dictate their vote. 'Liberal school superintendents used taxpayer-funded lobbyists to kill a bill allowing Bible study and character education as an elective course in public schools,' Ainsworth wrote in a Facebook post Friday morning. 'It's time to take a closer look at the political efforts of activist superintendents and how they are being funded.' Since the beginning of March, DuBose has claimed that 4,500 Alabama parents signed a petition in support of the legislation. Ryan Hollingsworth, the executive director of the State Superintendents Association and consistent opposer, openly doubted those numbers during the public hearing on the bill Wednesday. DuBose said in a phone interview Thursday that she did not appreciate the comment, but was unable to provide the list of names on the petition. She said the petition was administered by LifeWise Academy and was only sent out to people that already knew about the program. DuBose said Shelby County had 320 interested parents, Alabaster City had 56 and Pelham City had 13. 'I stand behind those numbers,' she said. 'They do exist … I don't like when my integrity is questioned by saying it is unknown whether that list is accurate or not, or whether it really exists.' The bill was re-referred to Sells' committee on Tuesday by the House Speaker's office. Bedsole said the meeting was called with 18 hours' notice and he did not see the bills on the agenda until later in the evening, which Sells confirmed. Typically, all committee meetings must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance, but according to legislative rules, after the 20th Legislative Day meetings can be called with only six hours' notice to members. Wednesday was the 29th Legislative Day. Sells said he called the meeting when the legislation was re-referred to his committee. Bedsole said he was not aware that the House version of the bill failed in committee. The lack of notice, he said, contributed to his vote against it. 'So my vote that you've seen is reflective of a bill that was brought to me with less than 24 hours notice, with a lot of unanswered questions,' Bedsole said. 'I thought it deserved a lot more time and attention than trying to pass it out of committee in the last remaining days of our session.' Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, made the motion to approve the legislation. He was in the education committee meeting when DuBose's bill failed and he said he was surprised by the opposition. 'I just thought it was a very friendly bill for Republicans, because as a whole, we're wholeheartedly in support of liberty and religious liberty,' Butler said in a phone interview Friday. 'Several people were out that day, so on another day, it might have passed, but it went through the process.' Ten of 14 House State Government Committee members were present on Wednesday. Sells and Butler said they think the legislation will pass next year. Sells voted in favor of the bill, but said he is against the process in which the bill came to his committee. 'We didn't have long, you know, it was kind of dumped in our laps,' he said. 'We're not going to vote against Jesus, I promise you that… It's the process. It's not what it was doing. It's the process of doing it.' Sells also backed up the members of his committee that voted against the bill. 'They don't work for the lieutenant governor,' he said. 'They work for the people in their districts.' Bedsole said he felt the bill was rushed and he said he is worried about the unintended consequences of it. 'Sometimes in government, we are blamed for not considering unintended consequences. And this was one of those situations where I felt like it was a bit rushed on the House Committee, and I fear there would be some unintended consequences that we weren't prepared for,' Bedsole said. Bedsole said he would work with the sponsors to pass the bill next year once his questions are answered. 'I think it was in our best interest to get back to the table next year,' he said. 'I'd be happy to be part of the conversation and address and hopefully get some answers to the questions I have.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama Senate committee approves religious instruction policy mandate
Sen. Shay Shelnutt, R-Trussville, laughing on April 16, 2025, in the Senate Education Policy Committee meeting in the Alabama State House in Montgomery, Alabama. Shelnutt's bill that requires local school boards to adopt a policy on released time religious instruction (RTRI) passed the committee 8-1 on Wednesday. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) An Alabama Senate committee Wednesday approved a bill that would require school boards to adopt policies on whether to allow students to leave school for religious study and give them academic credit for it. 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 state already has a law that allows school boards to adopt such policies, known as Released Time Religious Instruction (RTRI). The bill would mandate the development of those policies. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The committee heard from critics and supporters of the legislation last week. 'The bill is designed to provide local control and flexibility, ensuring a district can implement policies that best suit their needs, while respecting the constitutional rights of students and parents,' Shelnutt said Wednesday. The senator said the policy could forbid RTRI. 'Yes, local boards have the ability to adopt their own policies,' he said. 'If the policy they implement is super narrow because this does not work in their district in any way, then so be it.' Sen. Kirk Hatcher, D-Montgomery, echoed a concern raised by Dale County Superintendent Ben Baker last week that there is not enough time in the school day for students to leave campus for RTRI. He said religious instruction should happen at home. 'This is kind of boilerplate legislation, in my view. At some point we have to give parents the responsibility we say parents should have in terms of how they go about the process of sharing moral values with their kids,' Hatcher said. 'In fact, I know that it should begin at home.' Hatcher also questioned the intent of the bill. Although the legislation says that any religious group can participate, Hatcher was concerned about what that would look like and if it would happen. 'I do know that there's a slippery slope to this kind of legislation,' he said. 'I do know that a part of the intent of legislation like this has a great deal to do with this notion of Christian nationalism.' Sen. Roger Smitherman, D-Birmingham, raised concerns over liability. He said that students could sign up for the program, leave the school and not attend the program. 'We don't have control over them but they're still under us, but we don't have control. That's an hour that is returned outside during the hours of eight to three,' Smitherman said. Shelnutt said the groups that host RTRI, like LifeWise Ministry, will assume all liability. According to LifeWise's sample curriculum, it teaches the Christian belief that 'God created all things good' to a list of virtues that the nonprofit describes as 'LifeWise qualities.' At least 30 school board representatives from across the state attended Wednesday's meeting. Sally Smith, executive director of the Alabama Association of School Boards, said she is disappointed the legislation passed, but would continue to have conversations with lawmakers. Smith has consistently expressed concern and opposition to the bill. 'We think that we just have to have continued conversations with our senators due to local leaders' concerns with this bill,' Smith said in an interview. 'It is in the area of making policy that presents constitutional challenges to local boards of education. So it is not as clearly clean cut as some may think.' The bill was approved 8-1 with Hatcher as the only member that voted against the bill. Smitherman said he only voted for it to get it out of committee, but that it still needed significant work. Shelnutt said he would work with Smitherman on his concerns. 'I'm going to vote to get the bill out of committee, but I do think that before we move that bill on the floor, that these things have got to be tightened up,' Smitherman said. The bill moves to the full Senate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama Senate committee hears support, opposition for religious instruction bill
Ben Baker, a superintendent in Dale County, speaking to the Senate Education Policy Committee against a bill that would require school boards to adopt a policy on religious instruction on April 9, 2025, in the Alabama State House in Montgomery, Alabama. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) 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
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Religious instruction bill changes significantly in Alabama House committee
Rep. Susan DuBose, R-Hoover, speaks to the House Education Policy Committee while holding a binder that reads "Religious Release Act" on March 19, 2025, at the Alabama State House in Montgomery, Alabama. The legislation changed significantly with two amendments in the committee. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) A bill intended to force local school boards to give academic credit for religious instruction went through significant changes on Wednesday. As filed, HB 342, sponsored by Rep. Susan DuBose, R-Hoover, required local school boards to give elective credit to students to attend 'religious instruction' outside the classroom. But DuBose amended the bill to say local school boards 'may' give elective credit. Another amendment allowed local school boards to develop individual policies for religious instruction credit instead of having a single statewide one. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'I think that makes the bill a stronger bill and will be something that can be implemented easily in our districts and support our parents,' DuBose told the House Education Policy Committee on Wednesday. State law currently allows boards of education to extend that credit but does not mandate released time religious instruction (RTRI), the subject of DuBose's bill. LifeWise Ministries is one nonprofit that does RTRI. The ministry teaches students about the Christian Standard Bible 'with a focus on head, heart and hands,' according to its website. In a sample curriculum, it alters the language and organization of Bible lessons so that children can understand it easily. The legislation only applies to religious instruction, not philosophical like Satanism or atheism, DuBose said. 'This group and other secular groups are philosophical groups: the atheists, those are philosophical groups, not religious,' she said. 'They do not qualify for release time under state law.' Rep. Alan Baker, R-Brewton, said students can go to church services outside of school time. 'I think some of these school systems that have chosen not to [adopt a policy], I don't think it's because they dislike religious instruction,' Baker said. 'But they more so value that instructional time and they want that quality time.' DuBose said the legislation provides more access to religious instruction for children that may not have transportation to Wednesday night Bible studies or Sunday services. 'This provides these students with an access to religious education, that their parents approve of, that they may not have access to,' DuBose said. The committee adopted both amendments to the bill unanimously, but did not vote on the legislation as a whole. Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, the committee chair, said they would take it up in a couple weeks. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
