Respect Public Schools - Speak Out Against LifeWise Academy

Nebraska

State Law - Nebraska is a "No-Statute" State

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

Full Law Text

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:

The public schools should be neutral. “School authorities are neutral in this regard, and do no more than release students whose parents so request.”
No announcements in the school with regard to the released time program.
Released time classes are held off of school property
No public funds or employees are used to facilitate the released time program.
Parents give their signed consent form to the administration.

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.

Notes

LB550 is sponsored by Lifewise. The bill will require schools work with RTRI programs. The bill also allows Lifewise to use the school buildings, public funds, and resources. This is a direct contradiction to Zorach v. Clauson (1952).

Press/News/Media

District Stats

Step 0

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Steps 1-3

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Steps 4-6

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Steps 7-9

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All Districts

District	Current Step	Signatures
Beatrice Public Schools	Step 6	185
Lincoln Public Schools	Step 5	69
Millard Public Schools	Step 4	56
Omaha Public Schools	Step 4	91
Adams Central Public Schools	Step 1	2
Ainsworth Community Schools	Step 1	1
Alliance Public Schools	Step 1	7
Amherst Public Schools	Step 1	4
Ansley Public Schools	Step 1	1
Arapahoe Public Schools	Step 1	1
Arlington Public Schools	Step 1	1
Arnold Public Schools	Step 1	1
Ashland-Greenwood Public Schs	Step 1	2
Aurora Public Schools	Step 1	3
Bellevue Public Schools	Step 1	21
Bennington Public Schools	Step 1	14
Bertrand Public Schools	Step 1	1
Blair Community Schools	Step 1	20
Brady Public Schools	Step 1	1
Bridgeport Public Schools	Step 1	1
Broken Bow Public Schools	Step 1	1
Cambridge Public Schools	Step 1	1
Centennial Public Schools	Step 1	1
Central City Public Schools	Step 1	2
Central Valley Public Schools	Step 1	1
Chadron Public Schools	Step 1	1
Chase County Schools	Step 1	4
Clarkson Public Schools	Step 1	1
Columbus Public Schools	Step 1	2
Conestoga Public Schools	Step 1	1
Cozad Community Schools	Step 1	3
Creek Valley Schools	Step 1	3
Cross County Community Schools	Step 1	1
David City Public Schools	Step 1	2
Diller-Odell Public Schools	Step 1	1
Doniphan-Trumbull Public Schs	Step 1	1
Dorchester Public School	Step 1	1
Douglas Co West Community Schs	Step 1	3
Elba Public Schools	Step 1	1
Elkhorn Public Schools	Step 1	35
Elwood Public Schools	Step 1	1
Emerson-Hubbard Public Schools	Step 1	2
Fairbury Public Schools	Step 1	1
Falls City Public Schools	Step 1	25
Fillmore Central Public Schs	Step 1	1
Fort Calhoun Community Schs	Step 1	4
Freeman Public Schools	Step 1	1
Fremont Public Schools	Step 1	12
Friend Public Schools	Step 1	1
Gering Public Schools	Step 1	2
Gordon-Rushville Public Schs	Step 1	1
Grand Island Public Schools	Step 1	12
Gretna Public Schools	Step 1	17
Harvard Public Schools	Step 1	1
Hastings Public Schools	Step 1	4
Heartland Community Schools	Step 1	1
Hershey Public Schools	Step 1	1
Hitchcock Co Sch System	Step 1	1
Holdrege Public Schools	Step 1	1
Homer Community Schools	Step 1	1
Howells-Dodge Consolidated Schools	Step 1	1
Humboldt Table Rock Steinauer	Step 1	1
Humphrey Public Schools	Step 1	1
Johnson Co Central Public Schs	Step 1	3
Kearney Public Schools	Step 1	25
Kenesaw Public Schools	Step 1	2
Kimball Public Schools	Step 1	1
Laurel-Concord-Coleridge School	Step 1	2
Leigh Community Schools	Step 1	1
Lexington Public Schools	Step 1	2
Logan View Public Schools	Step 1	1
Loomis Public Schools	Step 1	2
Loup County Public Schools	Step 1	1
Lyons-Decatur Northeast Schs	Step 1	3
Mc Cook Public Schools	Step 1	4
Mead Public Schools	Step 1	1
Milford Public Schools	Step 1	1
Minatare Public Schools	Step 1	1
Minden Public Schools	Step 1	3
Mitchell Public Schools	Step 1	1
Nebraska City Public Schools	Step 1	1
Norfolk Public Schools	Step 1	18
North Bend Central Public Schs	Step 1	2
North Platte Public Schools	Step 1	9
Northwest Public Schools	Step 1	3
O'Neill Public Schools	Step 1	3
Oakland Craig Public Schools	Step 1	3
Ogallala Public Schools	Step 1	3
Ord Public Schools	Step 1	2
Palmyra District O R 1	Step 1	1
Papillion La Vista Community Schools	Step 1	48
Pierce Public Schools	Step 1	1
Plattsmouth Community Schools	Step 1	2
Pleasanton Public Schools	Step 1	1
Ponca Public Schools	Step 1	1
Ralston Public Schools	Step 1	6
Randolph Public Schools	Step 1	2
Rock County Public Schools	Step 1	1
Scottsbluff Public Schools	Step 1	5
Shelby - Rising City Public Schools	Step 1	1
Shelton Public Schools	Step 1	1
Sidney Public Schools	Step 1	4
So Sioux City Community Schs	Step 1	6
Southern School District 1	Step 1	1
Southwest Public Schools	Step 1	1
Springfield Platteview Community Schools	Step 1	2
Stapleton Public Schools	Step 1	1
Superior Public Schools	Step 1	1
Sutton Public Schools	Step 1	2
Tekamah-Herman Community Schs	Step 1	1
Thayer Central Community Schs	Step 1	2
Wahoo Public Schools	Step 1	2
Wakefield Public Schools	Step 1	1
Waverly School District 145	Step 1	1
Wayne Community Schools	Step 1	9
Weeping Water Public Schools	Step 1	1
West Point Public Schools	Step 1	1
Westside Community Schools	Step 1	11
Wilcox-Hildreth Public Schools	Step 1	1
Wood River Rural Schools	Step 1	1
York Public Schools	Step 1	3
Yutan Public Schools	Step 1	1
Allen Consolidated Schools	Step 0	0
Alma Public Schools	Step 0	0
Anselmo-Merna Public Schools	Step 0	0
Arcadia Public Schools	Step 0	0
Arthur County Schools	Step 0	0
Auburn Public Schools	Step 0	0
Axtell Community Schools	Step 0	0
Bancroft-Rosalie Comm Schools	Step 0	0
Banner County Public Schools	Step 0	0
Battle Creek Public Schools	Step 0	0
Bayard Public Schools	Step 0	0
Bloomfield Community Schools	Step 0	0
Blue Hill Public Schools	Step 0	0
Boone Central Schools	Step 0	0
Boyd County Schools	Step 0	0
Bruning-Davenport Unified Sys	Step 0	0
Burwell Public Schools	Step 0	0
Callaway Public Schools	Step 0	0
Cedar Bluffs Public Schools	Step 0	0
Centura Public Schools	Step 0	0
Chambers Public Schools	Step 0	0
Cody-Kilgore Public Schs	Step 0	0
Crawford Public Schools	Step 0	0
Creighton Community Public Schools	Step 0	0
Crete Public Schools	Step 0	0
Crofton Community Schools	Step 0	0
Deshler Public Schools	Step 0	0
Dundy Co Stratton Public Schs	Step 0	0
East Butler Public Schools	Step 0	0
Elgin Public Schools	Step 0	0
Elkhorn Valley Schools	Step 0	0
Elm Creek Public Schools	Step 0	0
Elmwood-Murdock Public Schools	Step 0	0
Eustis-Farnam Public Schools	Step 0	0
Exeter-Milligan Public Schools	Step 0	0
Franklin Public Schools	Step 0	0
Fullerton Public Schools	Step 0	0
Garden County Schools	Step 0	0
Gibbon Public Schools	Step 0	0
Giltner Public Schools	Step 0	0
Gothenburg Public Schools	Step 0	0
Hampton Public School	Step 0	0
Hartington Newcastle Public Schools	Step 0	0
Hay Springs Public Schools	Step 0	0
Hayes Center Public Schools	Step 0	0
Hemingford Public Schools	Step 0	0
High Plains Community Schools	Step 0	0
Hyannis Area Schools	Step 0	0
Johnson-Brock Public Schools	Step 0	0
Keya Paha County Schools	Step 0	0
Lakeview Community Schools	Step 0	0
Lewiston Consolidated Schools	Step 0	0
Leyton Public Schools	Step 0	0
Litchfield Public Schools	Step 0	0
Louisville Public Schools	Step 0	0
Loup City Public Schools	Step 0	0
Madison Public Schools	Step 0	0
Malcolm Public Schools	Step 0	0
Maxwell Public Schools	Step 0	0
Maywood Public Schools	Step 0	0
Mc Cool Junction Public Schs	Step 0	0
Mc Pherson County Schools	Step 0	0
Medicine Valley Public Schools	Step 0	0
Meridian Public Schools	Step 0	0
Morrill Public Schools	Step 0	0
Mullen Public Schools	Step 0	0
Neligh-Oakdale Schools	Step 0	0
Newman Grove Public Schools	Step 0	0
Niobrara Public Schools	Step 0	0
Norris School Dist 160	Step 0	0
Osceola Public Schools	Step 0	0
Osmond Community Schools	Step 0	0
Overton Public Schools	Step 0	0
Palmer Public Schools	Step 0	0
Pawnee City Public Schools	Step 0	0
Paxton Consolidated Schools	Step 0	0
Pender Public Schools	Step 0	0
Perkins County Schools	Step 0	0
Plainview Public Schools	Step 0	0
Potter-Dix Public Schools	Step 0	0
Ravenna Public Schools	Step 0	0
Raymond Central Public Schools	Step 0	0
Red Cloud Community Schools	Step 0	0
Riverside Public Schools	Step 0	0
Sandhills Public Schools	Step 0	0
Santee Community Schools	Step 0	0
Sargent Public Schools	Step 0	0
Schuyler Community Schools	Step 0	0
Scribner-Snyder Community Schs	Step 0	0
Seward Public Schools	Step 0	0
Shickley Public Schools	Step 0	0
Silver Lake Public Schools	Step 0	0
Sioux County Public Schools	Step 0	0
South Central Nebraska Unified 5	Step 0	0
South Platte Public Schools	Step 0	0
Southern Valley Schools	Step 0	0
St Edward Public Schools	Step 0	0
St Paul Public Schools	Step 0	0
Stanton Community Schools	Step 0	0
Sterling Public Schools	Step 0	0
Stuart Public Schools	Step 0	0
SUMMERLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS	Step 0	0
Sumner-Eddyville-Miller Schs	Step 0	0
Sutherland Public Schools	Step 0	0
Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca Schools	Step 0	0
Thedford Public Schools	Step 0	0
Tri County Public Schools	Step 0	0
Twin River Public Schools	Step 0	0
Umo N Ho N Nation Public Schs	Step 0	0
Valentine Community Schools	Step 0	0
VERDIGRE PUBLIC SCHOOLS	Step 0	0
Wallace Public Sch Dist 65 R	Step 0	0
Walthill Public Schools	Step 0	0
Wauneta-Palisade Public Schs	Step 0	0
Wausa Public Schools	Step 0	0
West Holt Public Schools	Step 0	0
Wheeler Central Schools	Step 0	0
Wilber-Clatonia Public Schools	Step 0	0
Winnebago Public Schools District 17	Step 0	0
Winside Public Schools	Step 0	0
Wisner-Pilger Public Schools	Step 0	0
Wynot Public Schools	Step 0	0