Making space for faith: Understanding North Dakota released time
Did you know that public school students can be released from school during school hours to receive Bible education?
Released time programs — where students are excused from public school classes for a short period to receive religious instruction — offer a balanced way to respect religious diversity and reinforce the constitutionality of parents to determine the nature of their child’s education.
The 1952 U.S. Supreme Court decision Zorach v. Clauson determined that teaching the Bible and other religious instruction during the public school day was constitutional and legal in all 50 states under three conditions: the program must be held off site of school property, no government funds can be used for the program, and parental permission is required for the child’s participation.
Since its inception in 1914 in Gary, Ind., when a school superintendent implemented the idea, millions of K-12 students have voluntarily participated in a released time program for religious education. No government agency tracks these programs centrally, so precise annual participation is difficult to determine, but estimates suggest hundreds of thousands of students across the country participate in a released time program.
Released time programs are typically established by private, religiously-affiliated organizations and can represent a variety of religious traditions — Protestant, Catholic, Latter Day Saints (Mormons), Jewish. Studies on the impact of released time programs have found that student participation is not associated with lower academic test scores and can even enhance academic achievement.
In North Dakota, state law allows a child attending a public school to be excused from school at the request of his or her parent for a maximum of one hour per week to “obtain religious instruction.” (Minnesota state law allows up to three hours a week.)
Adopting a local policy on a released time program is left to the discretion of each local school board. For example, here is Divide County school district’s policy, which notes that absences are excused and students are responsible for completing all make-up work.
There are a handful of states that require school boards to adopt policies on released time, including Arizona, Oklahoma, Florida, Iowa, Montana, Ohio, and Texas.
One major provider of released time religious instruction is LifeWise Academy, a nonprofit that offers Bible education to public school students across the country during school hours. The organization estimates it will serve nearly 100,000 students in 34 states during this school year (2025-26) — the highest number in its history. The off-campus instruction works similar in most states, with students signing out of school during a lunch, recess, or study hall block and walking or riding on one of LifeWise Academy’s signature red buses for transportation to a local church or building leased by the organization.
North Dakotans interested in launching this program in their community can begin the process here. LifeWise’s 10-step launch process starts with communities making a local grassroots effort to build interest by first gathering signatures and forming a Steering Committee and then presenting a customized logistical plan to school officials for approval. Support and resources for training, coaching, curriculum, HR and insurance, finances, and donation processing, to name a few, are provided by LifeWise to help onboard and equip local teams.
A February 2025 poll conducted by RMG Research surveyed 1,000 registered voters and found 67 percent of Americans support Bible-based character education being available to public school students during school hours as long as the program meets the legal criteria specified by the U.S. Supreme Court.
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LifeWise Academy’s documentary on released time titled, “Off School Property” will be in theaters Oct. 23.