Alabama Senate Bill 4 Mandates Religious Released Time for Students

Alabama's Senate Bill 4 has fundamentally changed state education policy by altering the wording from "may" to "shall" regarding religious released time for students. This mandates that local school boards and the State Board of Education must allow parents or guardians to choose religious released time, requiring schools to grant elective credit for off-campus religious instruction. This policy shift eliminates local control and integrates private religious instruction into the academic structure of the school day.