In Victory for Parental Rights, Iowa Law Permits Students to Receive Religious Instruction
A recently enacted Iowa law now allows public school students to receive optional religious education during the school day, despite opposition from an atheist group.
Effective July 1, the bill authorizes Iowa students to receive up to five hours of “private religious instruction” per school week.
The law’s stipulations include:
- Religious instruction must be provided by a private organization and may not be conducted on school property.
- Religious organizations must keep attendance records and assume liability for their students.
- School funds may not be used to support religious programs.
- Parents or guardians must notify the school that their child will be attending a religious program.
- Parents or guardians must provide transportation to and from students’ religious classes.
- Students may be excused for religious instruction up to five hours per week.
- Students must agree to make up any school work they may miss during their absence.
Additionally, the law permits parents to take action against any school that does not allow students to attend religious instruction classes.
On Friday, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed the bill (House File 870) into law. The bill previously earned a vote of 96-2 in the Iowa House of Representatives, followed by a unanimous vote of 47-0 in the Iowa Senate.
These majority votes prevailed despite previous pushback from the anti-religion group, Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF).
When Ohio passed a similar law in 2023, FFRF sent letters to Ohio’s school districts expressing their disapproval: “Public school districts are not legally required to authorize released time bible study classes.”
FFRF specifically targeted LifeWise Academy, a program that seeks to provide “Bible-based character education to public school students”:
LifeWise’s goal is clear: they seek to indoctrinate and convert public school students to evangelical Christianity by convincing public school districts to partner with them in bringing LifeWise released time bible classes to public school communities.
Public school students have the First Amendment right to be free from religious indoctrination in their schools.
However, the Ohio and Iowa laws are consistent with the 1952 Supreme Court decision in the case of Zorach v. Clauson, which permitted New York City students to receive religious education during school hours:
No one is forced to go to the religious classroom, and no religious exercise or instruction is brought to the classrooms of the public schools.
A student need not take religious instruction. He is left to his own desires as to the manner or time of his religious devotions, if any.
Similar laws authorizing optional religious education have been passed in other states, including Oklahoma and Indiana.
In a recent statement, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) Senior Counsel Greg Chafuen said:
Parents have the right and responsibility to guide the upbringing and education of their children.
The government should not stop families from raising their children in their family’s faith.
As the U.S. Supreme Court explained, respecting parents’ decisions for their child to participate in released time programs “follows the best of our traditions.”
Such legislation does not inhibit students’ education, but rather ensures their First Amendment right to freedom of religion – a constitutional right that should never be infringed upon.
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