Savannah-Chatham County
Step 6 of 10
Obtain School Approval (Step Descriptions)
Signatures

105

People who signed Lifewise's petition

State Law

Georgia is a
"No-Statute" state

Learn more about state laws.

Location Map Savannah, GA 31401 Chatham County
Lifewise Local Program Website Link (opens in a new tab)
District Poverty Rate 20.4% (data source)
Non-White Students 80.6% (data source)
NCES Link NCES District Info
Last Updated January 19, 2026
Georgia 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 (60)
School Step Description Grades Period Signatures
Beach High SchoolStep 1 Collect 50 Signatures 1
Coastal Middle SchoolStep 1 Collect 50 Signatures 1
Georgetown SchoolStep 1 Collect 50 Signatures 1
Gould Elementary SchoolStep 1 Collect 50 Signatures 1
Jenkins High SchoolStep 1 Collect 50 Signatures 1
Southwest Elementary SchoolStep 1 Collect 50 Signatures 1
West Chatham Elementary SchoolStep 1 Collect 50 Signatures 1
West Chatham Middle SchoolStep 1 Collect 50 Signatures 1
Windsor Forest Elementary SchoolStep 1 Collect 50 Signatures 1
Woodville-Tompkins Technical And Career High SchoolStep 1 Collect 50 Signatures 1
Andrea B Williams Elementary SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Bloomingdale Elementary SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Butler Elementary SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Coastal Empire Montessori Charter SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Derenne Middle SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Ellis Elementary SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Esther F. Garrison School For The ArtsStep 0 No Progress 0
Gadsden Elementary SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Garden City Elementary SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Godley Station SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Groves High SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Haven Elementary SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Heard Elementary SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Henderson E Formey Jr Early Learning CenterStep 0 No Progress 0
Hesse SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Hodge Elementary SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Howard Elementary SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Hubert Middle SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Islands High SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Isle Of Hope SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Jacob G. Smith Elementary SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Johnson High SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Largo-Tibet Elementary SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Marshpoint Elementary SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Mercer Middle SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Myers Middle SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
New Hampstead High SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
New Hampstead K-8 SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Oglethorpe Charter SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Otis J Brock Iii Elementary SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Pooler Elementary SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Port Wentworth Elementary SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Pulaski Elementary SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Rice Creek SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Savannah Arts AcademyStep 0 No Progress 0
Savannah Classical Academy Charter High SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Savannah Classical Academy Charter SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Savannah Early College High SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Savannah-Chatham E-Learning AcademyStep 0 No Progress 0
School Of Humanities At Juliette Gordon LowStep 0 No Progress 0
Shuman Elementary SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Southwest Middle SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Susie King Taylor Community SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Susie King Taylor Community School Middle Grades Academy foStep 0 No Progress 0
The School Of Liberal Studies At Savannah HighStep 0 No Progress 0
The Stem Academy At BartlettStep 0 No Progress 0
Tybee Island Maritime Academy SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Uhs Of Savannah Coastal Harbor Treatment CenterStep 0 No Progress 0
White Bluff Elementary SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
Windsor Forest High SchoolStep 0 No Progress 0
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Launch Steps History
Step
Description
Signatures
Date
Step 6
Obtain School Approval
105
January 19, 2026
Step 6
Obtain School Approval
104
January 18, 2026
Step 6
Obtain School Approval
103
January 15, 2026
Step 6
Obtain School Approval
102
January 13, 2026
Step 6
Obtain School Approval
101
January 12, 2026
Step 6
Obtain School Approval
97
January 10, 2026
Step 6
Obtain School Approval
89
January 9, 2026
Step 5
Draft a Plan
80
January 2, 2026
Step 5
Draft a Plan
79
December 31, 2025
Step 5
Draft a Plan
78
December 25, 2025
Step 5
Draft a Plan
77
December 25, 2025
Step 5
Draft a Plan
73
December 22, 2025
Step 5
Draft a Plan
72
December 19, 2025
Step 5
Draft a Plan
71
December 17, 2025
Step 5
Draft a Plan
70
November 28, 2025
Step 4
Form a Steering Committee
70
November 26, 2025
Step 4
Form a Steering Committee
66
November 19, 2025
Step 4
Form a Steering Committee
65
November 14, 2025
Step 4
Form a Steering Committee
64
October 30, 2025
Step 4
Form a Steering Committee
62
October 27, 2025
Step 4
Form a Steering Committee
57
October 25, 2025
Step 4
Form a Steering Committee
56
October 22, 2025
Step 4
Form a Steering Committee
55
October 16, 2025
Step 4
Form a Steering Committee
54
October 12, 2025
Step 4
Form a Steering Committee
52
October 9, 2025
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
42
September 25, 2025
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
41
September 21, 2025
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
40
September 18, 2025
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
38
September 4, 2025
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
37
August 10, 2025
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
36
August 7, 2025
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
35
August 5, 2025
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
34
July 26, 2025
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
33
July 15, 2025
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
32
July 8, 2025
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
31
July 1, 2025
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
29
June 13, 2025
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
25
June 7, 2025
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
24
June 5, 2025
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
20
May 20, 2025
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
19
April 30, 2025
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
18
April 10, 2025
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
11
March 29, 2025
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
7
March 21, 2025
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
6
December 31, 2024
Step 1
Collect 50 Signatures
5
April 26, 2024
Step 0
No Progress
0
March 17, 2024
 
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