{"data":{"id":"us-tx/tex.-education-code-25.0875","jurisdiction":"us-tx","citation":"Tex. Education Code § 25.0875","heading":"EXCUSED ABSENCE TO ATTEND RELEASED TIME COURSE.","body":"(a) In this section, \"released time course\" means a course in religious instruction offered by a private entity.\n(b) A school district or open-enrollment charter school shall, on the request of a parent or legal guardian of a student enrolled at the district or school and subject to the policy adopted under Subsection (c), excuse the student from attending school to attend a released time course for at least one but not more than five hours a week.\n(c) Each school district and open-enrollment charter school shall adopt a policy for excusing a student enrolled at the district or school from attending school to attend a released time course. The policy:\n(1) must require:\n(A) the student's parent or legal guardian to provide written consent for the student to attend the released time course;\n(B) the private entity offering the released time course to maintain attendance records and make the records available to the district or school at which the student is enrolled;\n(C) the private entity, parent or legal guardian, or student to assume responsibility for transportation, including transportation for a student with a disability, to and from any location at which the released time course is offered;\n(D) the private entity to make provisions for and assume liability for the student enrolled in the released time course while the student is under the private entity's care; and\n(E) the student to assume responsibility for any schoolwork issued during the student's absence;\n(2) must prohibit:\n(A) the district or school from using district or school funds, excluding de minimis costs, to facilitate the provision of a released time course; and\n(B) the private entity from offering the released time course on district or school property, unless permitted under a neutral policy of equal access that allows community organizations to use district or school property; and\n(3) may not interfere with the ability of the student's parent or legal guardian to request or access a released time course for the student.\nAdded by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1140 (S.B. 1049), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2025.","path":["EDUCATION CODE","TITLE 2. PUBLIC EDUCATION","SUBTITLE E. STUDENTS AND PARENTS","CHAPTER 25. ADMISSION, TRANSFER, AND ATTENDANCE","SUBCHAPTER C. OPERATION OF SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL ATTENDANCE"],"source_url":"https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.25.htm#25.0875","current_through":"89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T01:47:05Z","sha256":"2348f4882e078660d2bfcd58b44c9d5c0d75a00dc5156de6be736652b5b8f216","source_id":"us-tx","stale":false,"prev":"us-tx/tex.-education-code-25.087","next":"us-tx/tex.-education-code-25.088"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}