EXCUSED ABSENCE TO ATTEND RELEASED TIME COURSE

(a) In this section, "released time course" means a course in religious instruction offered by a private entity. (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. (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: (1) must require: (A) the student's parent or legal guardian to provide written consent for the student to attend the released time course; (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; (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; (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 (E) the student to assume responsibility for any schoolwork issued during the student's absence; (2) must prohibit: (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 (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 (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.