The bill introduces provisions for students attending courses in religious instruction provided by private organizations, modifying existing laws related to compulsory education and chronic absenteeism. It allows school districts, charter schools, and innovation zone schools to adopt policies for awarding academic credit for these courses, ensuring that the religious content and denominational affiliation of the course do not influence the credit determination. The bill outlines specific requirements for schools, including the need to consider classroom instruction hours, assessment methods, and instructor qualifications when evaluating the course for credit.

Additionally, the bill establishes that absences due to attending religious instruction courses will not count towards truancy or chronic absenteeism metrics. It mandates that schools excuse students for up to five hours per week to attend these courses, provided certain conditions are met, such as parental notification and maintenance of attendance records by the private organization. Parents and guardians are granted the right to take civil action against school districts for violations of these provisions, with the possibility of recovering court costs and attorney fees if they prevail.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 256E.7, 279.87, 299.1, 299.12