1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; prohibiting release time from 
  1.3             schools; amending Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 
  1.4             120A.22, subdivision 12. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 120A.22, 
  1.7   subdivision 12, is amended to read: 
  1.8      Subd. 12.  [LEGITIMATE EXEMPTIONS.] A parent, guardian, or 
  1.9   other person having control of a child may apply to a school 
  1.10  district to have the child excused from attendance for the whole 
  1.11  or any part of the time school is in session during any school 
  1.12  year.  Application may be made to any member of the board, a 
  1.13  truant officer, a principal, or the superintendent.  The board 
  1.14  of the district in which the child resides may approve the 
  1.15  application upon the following being demonstrated to the 
  1.16  satisfaction of that board: 
  1.17     (1) that the child's bodily or mental condition is such as 
  1.18  to prevent attendance at school or application to study for the 
  1.19  period required; or 
  1.20     (2) that for the school years 1988-1989 through 1999-2000 
  1.21  the child has already completed the studies ordinarily required 
  1.22  in the 10th grade and that for the school years beginning with 
  1.23  the 2000-2001 school year the child has already completed the 
  1.24  studies ordinarily required to graduate from high school~~; or~~. 
  1.25     ~~(3) that it is the wish of the parent, guardian, or other~~ 
  2.1   ~~person having control of the child, that the child attend for a~~ 
  2.2   ~~period or periods not exceeding in the aggregate three hours in~~ 
  2.3   ~~any week, a school for religious instruction conducted and~~ 
  2.4   ~~maintained by some church, or association of churches, or any~~ 
  2.5   ~~Sunday school association incorporated under the laws of this~~ 
  2.6   ~~state, or any auxiliary thereof.  This school for religious~~ 
  2.7   ~~instruction must be conducted and maintained in a place other~~ 
  2.8   ~~than a public school building, and it must not, in whole or in~~ 
  2.9   ~~part, be conducted and maintained at public expense.  However, a~~ 
  2.10  ~~child may be absent from school on such days as the child~~ 
  2.11  ~~attends upon instruction according to the ordinances of some~~ 
  2.12  ~~church.~~ 
  2.13     <b>[EFFECTIVE DATE.]</b> This section is effective for the 
  2.14  2001-2002 school year and later.