SOUTH CAROLINA
General Information
S.C. Code Ann. § 59-1-460
“(A) The school district board of trustees may adopt a policy that authorizes a student to be excused from school to attend a class in religious instruction conducted by a private entity if:
- the student’s parent or guardian gives written consent;
- the sponsoring entity maintains attendance records and makes them available to the public school the student attends;
- transportation to and from the place of instruction, including transportation for students with disabilities, is the complete responsibility of the sponsoring entity, parent, or guardian;
- the sponsoring entity makes provisions for and assumes liability for the student who is excused; and
- no public funds are expended and no public school personnel are involved in providing the religious instruction.
(B) It is the responsibility of a participating student to make up any missed schoolwork. However, no student may be released from a core academic subject class to attend a religious instruction class. While in attendance in a religious instruction class pursuant to this section, a student is not considered to be absent from school.”
S.C. Code Ann. § 59-39-112
“(A) A school district board of trustees may award high school students no more than two elective Carnegie units for the completion of released time classes in religious instruction as specified in Section 59-1-460 if:
- for the purpose of awarding elective Carnegie units, the released time classes in religious instruction are evaluated on the basis of purely secular criteria that are substantially the same criteria used to evaluate similar classes at established private high schools for the purpose of determining whether a student transferring to a public high school from a private high school will be awarded elective Carnegie units for such classes. However, any criteria that released time classes must be taken at an accredited private school is not applicable for the purpose of awarding Carnegie unit credits for released time classes; and
- the decision to award elective Carnegie units is neutral as to, and does not involve any test for, religious content or denominational affiliation.
(B) For the purpose of subsection (A)(1), secular criteria may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- number of hours of classroom instruction time;
- review of the course syllabus which reflects the course requirements and materials used;
- methods of assessment used in the course; and
- whether the course was taught by a certified teacher.
(C) The provisions of subsection (A)(1) also shall be satisfied if a school district leaves the evaluation and assessment function for an off-campus released time class to an accredited private school, and accepts the off-campus released time transfer of credit without individually assessing the quality or subject matter of the class, trusting the private school accreditation process to ensure adequate academic standards.”
Statutes
Regulations
2007 S.C. Op. Att’y Gen. No. WL 419400, at *4
“Generally, school districts have the authority to adopt policies concerning absences from school. I would note, however, that Section 59-1-460(B), enacted since that opinion was issued, specifically states that ‘[w]hile in attendance in a religious instruction class pursuant to this section, a student is not considered to be absent from school.’ Therefore, it appears that the a school district's authority to adopt policies regarding absences would not carry over to attendance at religious instruction classes.”
1996 S.C. Op. Att’y Gen. No. 49, *2
“Any religious instruction released-time policy adopted by a local school board would be subject to the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which provides in pertinent part, that, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." The religious liberty guarantees expressed by the Free Exercise and Establishment Clauses have been held to be applicable to the individual states by virtue of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.”
Attorney General
Case Law