Montgomery County Public Schools
Step 6 of 10
Obtain School Approval (Step Descriptions)
Signatures

104

People who signed Lifewise's petition

State Law

Maryland is a
"No-Statute" state

Learn more about state laws.

Location Map Rockville, MD 20850 Montgomery County
Lifewise Local Program Website Link (opens in a new tab)
District Poverty Rate 6.4% (data source)
Non-White Students 76.1% (data source)
NCES Link NCES District Info
Last Updated April 17, 2026
Maryland State Law

There is no state statute regulating released time for religious instruction, federal rulings still apply. "No-Statute" states function in theory the same way as "May-Law" states. School districts may create a policy allowing students to be released for religious study, or they may choose not to coordinate with released-time programs and require the students' legal guardians facilitate the process.
Read more about "May" and "Shall" state laws

States with no statute for released time religious instruction are treated like "may" states. Released time programs would need to request approval from the local school board. School districts should not allow a released time program to operate in the district without a specific released time policy.

The federal case laws that mandate how released time functions should be followed. Zorach vs Clauson states:

School districts in states without a statute mandating a released time policy can choose not to allow released time or to coordinate with religious organizations seeking to remove students from school during the school day.

School districts should always have a policy indicating whether they coordinate with released-time religious instruction programs. Not having a policy at all and leaving it up to the released time program should never be the operating standard. This will open the district up to misinterpretation of its intent.

It is suggested that parents approach the school board and request that a released time religious instruction policy be implemented, even before a religious program approaches the district.

This does not encompass all legal requirements, and other legal opinions may exist. Please use this as a guide only.

What Can My School District Do?

All school districts, regardless of whether they are required by law to allow released time, should implement good policy and be prepared for when a released time program may approach the district. The time to set the policy is before an active program is pressuring the district. Research polices the district can implement to protect teachers' and students' instruction time. Set polices that limit disruptions to students and the ability for proselytization to occur, impacting other students of faith or no faith. A more detailed write-up on school board policies can be read here.

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Schools in the District (207)
School Step Description Grades Period Signatures
Ashburton ElementaryStep 6 Obtain School Approval 94
Arcola ElementaryStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Bayard Rustin ElementaryStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Bells Mill ElementaryStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Beverly Farms ElementaryStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Briggs Chaney MiddleStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Col. Zadok Magruder HighStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Cresthaven ElementaryStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Damascus HighStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Dr. Charles R. Drew ElementaryStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Flower Valley ElementaryStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Gaithersburg ElementaryStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Gaithersburg HighStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Gaithersburg MiddleStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Galway ElementaryStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Hallie Wells Middle SchoolStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
John T. Baker Middle SchoolStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Lakewood ElementaryStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Laytonsville ElementaryStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Lucy V. Barnsley ElementaryStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Luxmanor ElementaryStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Montgomery Village Middle SchoolStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Potomac ElementaryStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Rosemont ElementaryStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Seneca Valley HighStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Silver Spring International MiddleStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
South Lake ElementaryStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Springbrook HighStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Thomas S. Wootton HighStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Thomas W. Pyle Middle SchoolStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
White Oak MiddleStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
Woodfield ElementaryStep 6 Collect 50 Signatures 94
A. Mario Loiederman MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
Albert Einstein HighStep 6 No Progress 94
Alternative ProgramsStep 6 No Progress 94
Argyle MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
Bannockburn ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Beall ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Bel Pre ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Belmont ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Benjamin Banneker MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
Bethesda ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Bethesda-Chevy Chase HighStep 6 No Progress 94
Bradley Hills ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Brooke Grove ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Brookhaven ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Brown Station ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Burning Tree ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Burnt Mills ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Burtonsville ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Cabin John Middle SchoolStep 6 No Progress 94
Candlewood ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Cannon Road ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Captain James E. Daly ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Carderock Springs ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Carl Sandburg CenterStep 6 No Progress 94
Cashell ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Cedar Grove ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Chevy Chase ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Clarksburg ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Clarksburg HighStep 6 No Progress 94
Clearspring ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Clopper Mill ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Cloverly ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Col. E. Brooke Lee MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
Cold Spring ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
College Gardens ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Damascus ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Darnestown ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Diamond ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Dr. Sally K. Ride ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Dufief ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Earle B. Wood MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
East Silver Spring ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Eastern Middle SchoolStep 6 No Progress 94
Fairland ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Fallsmead ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Farmland ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Fields Road ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Flora M. Singer Elementary SchoolStep 6 No Progress 94
Flower Hill ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Forest Oak MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
Fox Chapel ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Francis Scott Key MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
Garrett Park ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Georgian Forest ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Germantown ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Glen Haven ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Glenallan ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Goshen ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Great Seneca Creek ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Greencastle ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Greenwood ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Harmony Hills ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Herbert Hoover MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
Highland ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Highland View ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Jackson Road ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
James Hubert Blake HighStep 6 No Progress 94
Joann Leleck At Broad Acres ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
John F. Kennedy HighStep 6 No Progress 94
John H. Poole MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
John L Gildner Regional Inst for Children & AdolStep 6 No Progress 94
Jones Lane ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Judith A. Resnik ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Julius West MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
Kemp Mill ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Kensington Parkwood ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Kingsview MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
Lake Seneca ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Lakelands Park MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
Little Bennett ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Lois P. Rockwell ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Longview SchoolStep 6 No Progress 94
Martin Luther King Jr. MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
Maryvale ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
MCPS Transitions SchoolStep 6 No Progress 94
Meadow Hall ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Mill Creek Towne ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Monocacy ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Montgomery Blair HighStep 6 No Progress 94
Montgomery Knolls ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Neelsville MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
New Hampshire Estates ElemStep 6 No Progress 94
Newport Mill MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
North Bethesda MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
North Chevy Chase ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Northwest HighStep 6 No Progress 94
Northwood High SchoolStep 6 No Progress 94
Oak View ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Oakland Terrace ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Olney ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Paint Branch HighStep 6 No Progress 94
Parkland MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
PEP - Itinerant No Progress
Pine Crest ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Piney Branch ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Poolesville ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Poolesville HighStep 6 No Progress 94
Quince Orchard HighStep 6 No Progress 94
Rachel Carson ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Redland MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
Richard Montgomery HighStep 6 No Progress 94
Ridgeview MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
Ritchie Park ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Robert Frost Middle SchoolStep 6 No Progress 94
Roberto W. Clemente MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
Rock Creek Valley ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Rock Terrace SchoolStep 6 No Progress 94
Rock View ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Rockville HighStep 6 No Progress 94
Rocky Hill MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
Rolling Terrace ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Ronald Mcnair ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Rosa M. Parks MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
Roscoe R Nix ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Rosemary Hills ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
S. Christa Mcauliffe ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Sargent Shriver ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Sequoyah ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Seven Locks ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Shady Grove MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
Sherwood ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Sherwood HighStep 6 No Progress 94
Silver Creek MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
Sligo Creek ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Sligo MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
Snowden Farm ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Somerset ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Spark M. Matsunaga Elementary SchoolStep 6 No Progress 94
Stedwick ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Stephen Knolls SchoolStep 6 No Progress 94
Stone Mill ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Stonegate ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Strathmore ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Strawberry Knoll ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Summit Hall ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Takoma Park ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Takoma Park Middle SchoolStep 6 No Progress 94
Thomas Edison High School of TechnologyStep 6 No Progress 94
Thurgood Marshall ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Tilden Middle SchoolStep 6 No Progress 94
Travilah ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Twinbrook ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Viers Mill ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Walt Whitman HighStep 6 No Progress 94
Walter Johnson HighStep 6 No Progress 94
Washington Grove ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Waters Landing ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Watkins Mill ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Watkins Mill HighStep 6 No Progress 94
Wayside ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Weller Road ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Westbrook ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Westland MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
Westover ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Wheaton HighStep 6 No Progress 94
Wheaton Woods ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Whetstone ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
William B. Gibbs Jr. ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
William H. Farquhar MiddleStep 6 No Progress 94
William Tyler Page ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Wilson Wims Elementary SchoolStep 6 No Progress 94
Winston Churchill HighStep 6 No Progress 94
Wood Acres ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Woodlin ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
Wyngate ElementaryStep 6 No Progress 94
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Launch Steps History
Step
Description
Signatures
Date
Step 6
Obtain School Approval
104
April 17, 2026
 
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