State senators debated a group of education bills on Wednesday afternoon. By the end of the discussion, only the main bill, LB306, remained.
At first, the legislation combined six separate bills into one, using an amendment called AM1335 from the Legislature’s Education Committee.
One part of the bill, introduced by Sen. Loren Lippincott and originally called LB550, was highly controversial. It would let public school students miss up to one class period each week to attend religious classes off school grounds.
Schools would have to create policies to allow this. Parents would need to give written permission for their children to join. The religious classes would also have to take attendance.
Sen. Bob Andersen supported the idea. He said religious education is still a form of education. He believes removing God and religion from society is a problem that this bill could help fix.
“We’ve had this challenge for the last number of years where everybody wanted to step away from God, and then you turn into a godless culture,” Andersen said. “I think providing this alternative to parents and students to have religious education is a positive.”
Sen. Lippincott added that the bill could help students do better both academically and behaviorally.
“The aim is to support families who seek religious education for their children while strengthening character education in our public schools,” he said. “This fosters a well-rounded and inclusive learning environment for every student.”
However, Sen. Tom Brandt shared concerns from superintendents in his district. They opposed the bill.
“They feel it cheapens the class the students miss, whether it’s a shop class or math,” Brandt said. “There are also problems with disruption. When does the student return? Where is the student during that time? Who is responsible for them?”
Sen. Megan Hunt pointed out that a group called LifeWise Academy could benefit from this law if it passes. LifeWise Academy is a Protestant Christian organization that already runs Bible classes during school hours in other states.
Hunt criticized the group’s recruitment methods. These sometimes include giving out free T-shirts, snacks, and offering bus rides to off-site classes.
“This is like Tupperware in the school,” Hunt said. “They have to bring friends. Friends who are not allowed to join feel left out because they don’t get the bus ride or the T-shirt. If they don’t go to church with their friend during school, their friend misses out on a popcorn party, and they get excluded even more.”
Sen. John Fredrickson added that religious programs like these can be difficult for students who come from different faiths or no faith at all.
“Programs like this leave behind kids who do not practice evangelical Christianity,” Fredrickson said. “Teachers will have to reteach lessons. This is not serious. Public education is not for this. That is why we have private schools.”
Sen. Hunt introduced an amendment to remove the section of the bill allowing students to leave for religious classes. The amendment passed with 25 senators voting in favor and 9 against.
Soon after, the larger amendment combining the six bills was voted down 22 to 23. This left only the original bill, mainly about post-secondary education funding, in the package.
Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh threatened a filibuster. Because of this, the bill was set aside for the evening but could still be discussed in the last seven days of the legislative session.
