JCPS Board Votes 5-2 To Allow Students To Leave School For Religious Instruction
SMITHFIELD — Johnston County students may now be excused from school for up to one hour each week to attend private religious instruction under a new policy approved by the Board of Education.
The board voted 5-2 on Oct. 13 to adopt the policy, with board members Kay Carroll and April Lee voting against it.
The policy was adopted following changes in state law requiring public school systems to allow what is known as “released time religious instruction.”
Under the JCPS policy, participation is voluntary and requires written permission from a parent or guardian.
The classes are not part of the JCPS educational program and are not sponsored, supervised or controlled by the school system.
No academic credit will be awarded.
Students may be excused for no more than one hour during a school week.
The policy does not allow students to miss math, science, social studies or English language arts classes for religious instruction. Students also cannot leave during state-required testing, screenings, remedial instruction, interventions or retesting.
JCPS employees are prohibited from encouraging or discouraging students from participating.
The policy also allows students or parents to seek exemptions from specific classroom discussions, activities or assigned readings when they believe participation would substantially burden the student’s religious beliefs or call unwanted attention to the student’s religion.
Those requests must be made in writing. If an exemption is approved, the student must receive an alternative activity or assignment aligned with the state course of study.
The policy took effect as JCPS implements new state requirements for the 2026-27 school year.
The state law requires school districts to allow at least one hour, but no more than four hours, of released-time religious instruction per calendar week. Parents must give permission, arrange transportation and document attendance, while students are required to make up missed schoolwork. The statewide requirement applies beginning with the 2026-27 school year.
Discover more from JoCo Report
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
I didn’t read anything past the title of this article. The first thing that came to mind was, “Isn’t that what church is for”? Isn’t this the echelon of Church vs. State in America? And being, in part, decided here locally.
They just don’t know that can of worms they have opened up. If you recall several years ago, a student claimed to be a member of the church of body modification because a teacher at Clayton middle school wanted her to take her nose ring out. The parent fought it and won. They are going to need to stipulate what religions they’re going to recognize because you can make a religion into anything now. Johnston County school board are spineless. They are literally doing the exact same thing that Wake County had already agreed to before their school. Does anyone really wonder why kids are graduating high school without the ability to read and do math?
It’s a bit of a leap to connect a 2010 dress code dispute over a nose ring to a statewide educational law in 2026, but let’s unpack this “can of worms.”
First, public school boards don’t get to decide or “stipulate” which religions are legitimate. That’s called the First Amendment. The Supreme Court established decades ago (Zorach v. Clauson) that off-campus released-time policies must be open to any family that requests it with parental consent, so long as no public funds or school grounds are involved. If a family wants to sign their kid out for an hour a week, that’s their prerogative under the law.
Second, calling the JCPS board “spineless” for following North Carolina state policy, and doing what neighboring counties do ignores how local school governance actually works.
As for kids missing an hour of instruction. Parents are required to arrange transportation, and students are required to make up all missed work. If we’re genuinely concerned about reading and math scores, focusing on actual curriculum rather than misrepresenting state-mandated attendance options might be a better place to start.
That’s actually a really common reaction when people see a headline like this. The boundary between church and state is super important to a lot of us, so it makes sense why this topic catches people’s attention right away.
If you get a chance to read through the full article, though, the actual policy makes a bit more sense. It doesn’t actually bring religion into the classroom.
Instead, it’s just a standard “released time” rule that’s been allowed across the country for decades. For it to happen, a few strict rules have to be met:
– It has to happen off school property (like at a nearby community center or church).
-No school or taxpayer money can be used.
It’s 100% optional—parents have to sign off on it, line up the rides, and students still have to make up any schoolwork they miss.
-Because the school isn’t hosting, funding, or teaching anything, it keeps that clear line between church and state intact while still giving families flexibility.
Headlines can definitely make things sound like a big local showdown, but reading the actual details usually shows it’s just about balancing family choices with basic school rules!
At this point I would actually like to understand better why the two council members actually voted against it. I will have to go watch the meeting on YouTube I suppose.