Victory for NH Public Education! 🏛️🍎
We are thrilled to share that HB 1628, which sought to mandate “release time” for religious instruction during the school day, has been defeated. The House Education Committee voted unanimously 16-0 to label the bill Inexpedient to Legislate.
💡 What does “Inexpedient to Legislate” (ITL) mean? In New Hampshire, an ITL vote is the committee’s way of saying that a bill is unnecessary, poorly written, or harmful to the state. It effectively “kills” the bill and prevents it from moving forward in the legislative process.
In the committee report, Rep. Katy Peternel noted:
🚨Unnecessary Mandate: The bill was viewed as another unnecessary mandate on our public schools.
🚨No Proven Need: The committee received zero testimony indicating that “release time” is currently an issue in New Hampshire. …..Despite a Lifewise Academy local director named Micheal Facques testifying on it’s behalf 👀
🚨Protecting School Hours: Most religious organizations already provide education outside of school hours, making this legislation unnecessary.
🌟 A Model for the Nation
This unanimous, bipartisan decision shows what happens when we prioritize the integrity of the school day and the secular nature of public education.
We hope other states facing similar “released time” mandates look to New Hampshire as a blueprint: PUBLIC SCHOOL HOURS SHOULD BE FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL CURRICULUM.
When we stand together to protect our schools from unnecessary mandates, we ensure that every student’s time is respected and academic standards are upheld.
❤️Thank you to the committee for protecting our public education system!
📄 Read the full bill here:
https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/billText.aspx?sy=2026&id=2161&txtFormat=html
📄You can read the full committee report here : https://gc.nh.gov/house/calendars_journals/viewer.aspx?fileName=Calendars%5C2026%5CNo%206%20February%206%202026.PDF
What people are saying:
- Facebook User: No religion in public schools!!! It IS against the Constitution!!!!!!
- Facebook User: Apparently they have more sense than Ohio!
- Facebook User: OHIO wake up. Stop religious indoctrination during public school hours.
- Facebook User: Too bad Ohio voters couldn’t all vote it down. 🫤
- Secular Education Association: Facebook User Just to clarify — voters weren’t given a direct vote in either state.
In both New Hampshire and Ohio, these policies were handled through the legislative process, not a ballot measure.
In New Hampshire, lawmakers stopped it unanimously in committee.
In Ohio, it moved through the legislature despite strong opposition from educators, parents, and civil liberties organizations. 👀
- Facebook User: Secular Education Association, Ohio’s governor has peanuts rattling in his skull in lieu of a brain. And don’t get me started about the atrocious republicans from this state. That cold bowl of soup JD Vance shoulda stopped after penning his fictional memoir.
- Facebook User: Secular Education Association This is what happens when the state is run by a gerrymandered Republican supermajority that ignores the will of their voters.
- Secular Education Association: Facebook User Just to clarify — voters weren’t given a direct vote in either state.
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