Bill Would Allow School Credits For Religious Instruction

The Ohio Senate is now considering a House-passed bill giving high-school students class credit for religious activities they attend during regular school hours. The bill gives districts the authority to excuse students from school to receive religious instruction with parental permission. Districts could approve the curriculum, hours of class time, testing methods and instructor qualifications but could not spend any public funds on religious education, including transportation. Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, says she objects to the bill, and notes it may violate the constitutional separation of church and state.