A public hearing was held Wednesday to discuss a bill that would require school districts to adopt policies giving students academic credit while attending religious schooling outside of class.

The bill, HB342, would change current state law language concerning religious release time programs to mandate that schools extend elective credits for religious instruction.

Religious release time programs allow public school students to attend religious instruction as long as it is privately funded and outside of the school.

Sponsor of the bill, Rep. Susan DuBose, R-Hoover, told the House Education Policy Committee that the goal of the bill was to ensure that parents could decide whether they wanted their child to obtain religious education or not.

“The goal of this bill is clear, to guarantee that the choice of whether to participate in religious release time belongs to the parent,” DuBose said. “By requiring districts to adopt a policy while allowing them the flexibility to tailor it to their community’s needs.”

The bill states that students participating could not be released from core curriculum classes, could only be away from school an hour and transportation would not be the responsibility of the public school.

During the public hearing several people spoke both in support and in opposition to the proposed legislation.

Derek Stemen, Vice President of LifeWise Academy, was the first to speak in support of the bill stating his organization believed parents should have the choice for their children to receive religious instruction.

LifeWise Academy is an Ohio-based nonprofit organization that provides Bible education to public school students during school hours, according to its website.

The non-profit is lobbying for HB342 and has lobbied across the country for similar RTRI bills, which then leads the organization to expand by launching religious programs under the new laws.

In 2024, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill into law requiring public schools districts to adopt RTRI policies.

According to IRS filings published on ProPublica, in fiscal year 2023-2024 LifeWise raised over $35 million in revenue and profited over $17 million.

Stemen said the organization currently serves over 500 schools and 40,000 students across the country.

According to Stemen, 12 school districts in Alabama currently participating in religious programs. Two of those are programs administered by LifeWise.

Scott Suttle, President of the St.Clair County Board of Education, spoke in opposition to HB342 stating school boards do not oppose RTRI but are against “governmental overreach” takin away the possibility of choice.

Suttle called out LifeWise Academy saying the push for the legislation was manufactured by the organization and not part of any grassroots effort for RTRI policies.

At the state level, we have not seen any type of grassroots effort that is clamoring for religious release time,” Suttle said. “What we have seen is a $35 million nonprofit that hired an Alabama lobbyist to come in and find a sponsor for the bill to push it in this state, as well as several other states.”

Both Republican and Democrat lawmakers voiced concern about the legislation forcing school boards to adopt religious release policies.

Questions were also raised about LifeWise Academy’s curriculum and Steven said the non-profit took a three fold approach focusing on the, “head, heart and mind.”

“We are teaching character values and things like respect and discipline and forgiveness and love for these students as we teach the lesson,” Stemen said.

However, according to the Toledo Free Press, critics have argued that LifeWise teachings are discriminatory toward LGBTQ+ people, those who teach non-Christian religions and single, unmarried or divorced individuals.

The committee did not take a vote on the DuBose’s legislation this week but intend to do so next week.