This clip is from the Oklahoma Senate Committee on Education on April 2, 2024, during debate on HB 1425 — what we’ve been calling LifeWise copy-paste legislation.
HB 1425 didn’t just allow released-time religious instruction — it mandated it.
Traditionally, RTRI laws were permissive: districts may allow released time if they choose.
This bill shifts that framework to compulsory policy adoption, requiring districts to accommodate RTRI.
Versions of this RTRI mandate model have already passed in states like Indiana, Ohio, Montana, Texas, and Iowa — with more copy-paste bills cropping up all the time.
During this Senate discussion, lawmakers explain — on the record — why charter schools and private schools are exempt, while traditional public schools are subject to this mandate, framing it as a matter of “parental choice.”
HB 1425 ultimately passed.
Here’s the core issue:
“Parental choice” is being used here to justify removing neutrality from the only school system that is legally required to serve everyone.
So the question is unavoidable:
What about the choice of families who choose a secular public school day?
Read the full bill text here – http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/cf_pdf/2023-24%20COMMITTEE%20AMENDMENTS/Senate/HB1425%20PCS.PDF
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