The proposed bill would amend current statutes regarding school attendance for religious purposes by changing the language from permissive to mandatory. Under current law, school district governing boards and charter school governing bodies "may" allow students to be excused for religious purposes, whereas the new bill would require that they "must" adopt a policy that allows for such excusal. This change emphasizes the obligation of governing bodies to accommodate students' religious needs.

Additionally, the bill makes several technical updates, including changing the term "pupil" to "student" throughout the statute. It also clarifies that the policy must stipulate the conditions under which students can be excused, including the requirement for written consent from the person with custody of the student. The bill retains the existing requirement for governing bodies to apply for authorization of school closure under specific circumstances, such as threats of violence, but updates the language to ensure consistency with the new terminology.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 15-806