Rock Hill schools table release-time religious study policy until fall

The Rock Hill school board decided Monday to table a proposed policy on release-time religious study for middle school students after a long debate among a deeply divided board.

The unanimous vote to table the policy came after board chairman Jim Vining said he could not support the policy, which was up Monday for a final vote, without hearing input from middle School Improvement Councils, or SICs. SICs are volunteer panels of parents and school staff members that represent each school.

Superintendent Kelly Pew told board members it will likely be at least September before the board will be able to receive input from the school panels because they do not meet in the summer.

An email survey requested by the board of Rock Hill middle school parents, which drew 277 responses, found 63 percent of parents in favor of the policy, school officials said. Some SIC members provided input through the online survey, district leaders said.

However, the SIC panels did not provide separate input because the board did not seek their input until earlier this month, when the panels were finished meeting for the year, Pew said.

“If we go forward with the policy, I will have to vote it down,” Vining announced to the board. Vining said he wanted to hear from SIC panels before making the decision.

Board member Walter Brown, who has supported the policy as offering a choice to parents, said he would move to table the policy to allow more input to be received rather than see it be voted down.

The board appeared to be narrowly divided on the policy, approved on an initial 4-3 vote in late April, and Vining’s vote would have been necessary for the policy to be approved Monday.

Board members Ann Reid, Mildred Douglas and Jane Sharp stated their opposition to the policy, citing concerns about disrupting the school day and taking students out of elective classes. All three voted against the policy last month and said they would vote against it Monday.

Meanwhile, board members Brown, Helena Miller and Terry Hutchinson voiced their support for the policy, saying it gives parents an opportunity to choose.

The policy was created at the request of the nonprofit School Ministries of Rock Hill Inc., affiliated with the national School Ministries Inc. The group wants to provide release-time Bible education to Rock Hill middle school students during the school day, said the Rev. Bill Simpson, with Manchester Creek Community Church in Rock Hill.

Simpson told the board Monday the group wants to reach students who would otherwise not have a chance for religious instruction. He said studies have shown such instruction improves student behavior and grades.

Simpson has said he is leading a coalition of about 17 churches that have lent their support. Many of those churches have provided letters of support to the board.

Amanda Shumpert, the parent of three Rock Hill students, told the board she represented parents and others who support the policy. About two dozen people stood to show their support.

She said children need the support of their peers in their faith. “Their peers are their greatest influences, and if they are together in their peer group, they would feel more free to open up to each other,” she said.

Under the proposed policy, instruction would take place off the school campus and the sponsoring group would provide transportation. Absences for religious study would not be allowed during core academic classes, such as English, math, science and social studies. Parents would have to give written approval for their child to participate.

The sponsoring group would be required to pay for background and sex offender checks for adults who would be in contact with students, and if students are returned to school late, the sponsoring group could lose the right to offer a program, the proposal said.

The proposal also said the school staff would not be allowed to either encourage or discourage student participation in a release-time religious program.

This story was originally published May 23, 2016 at 8:45 PM with the headline "Rock Hill schools table release-time religious study policy until fall."