Missouri 2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee

SB 1165 — Requires school districts to establish a policy allowing students to be excused from class to receive religious or moral instruction off school property

Last action — Second Read and Referred S Education Committee

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced December 01, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Stalled 14% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Summary

SB 1165 - This act requires the school board of each school district to establish a policy authorizing students to be excused from class to attend a course in religious or moral instruction taught by an independent entity off school property. Such instruction is defined in the act as a "released time course". The policy shall provide that students may be excused for up to three class periods per week or a maximum of 125 class periods per school year. The student's parent or legal guardian shall provide written consent prior to the student's participation in a released time course. No school district funds, except minimal administrative costs, shall be used, and no school personnel, equipment, or resources shall be involved in providing the instruction. The independent entity offering a released time course shall maintain attendance records and make them available to the school district and its board. Transportation to and from the instruction site shall be the responsibility of the independent entity, the student, or the student's parent or legal guardian. The independent entity or the student's parent or legal guardian shall indemnify and hold the school district harmless regarding any liability arising from student conduct that does not occur on school property under the district's control or supervision, and shall maintain adequate insurance for this purpose. The student shall be responsible for any missed school work. The school district superintendent, principal, or their designees shall have discretion over the scheduling and timing of released time courses, ensuring students are not excused during courses in English language arts, mathematics, science, or U.S. history. The school district, its school board, and the state shall not be liable for students participating in released time courses when the students are not under the district's control or supervision. For purposes of calculating average daily attendance and establishing compliance with the compulsory attendance law, a student attending a released time course shall be considered in attendance in the school district, and the time shall be counted as part of the school day. The school board shall award elective credit for work completed in a released time course, substantiated by a transcript from the independent entity providing the course. The evaluation of the course for credit should be neutral and secular, considering factors including classroom instruction time, course syllabus, assessment methods, and instructor qualifications. The provisions of the act shall not apply to charter schools or to virtual schools. This act is identical to SB 698 (2025) and similar to HB 2157 (2026) and HB 1393 (2025). OLIVIA SHANNON

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Second Read and Referred S Education Committee

  2. S First Read

  3. Prefiled

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 198 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (198)

198 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 198 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

civil-rights education
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 1165 do?
SB 1165 - This act requires the school board of each school district to establish a policy authorizing students to be excused from class to attend a course in religious or moral instruction taught by an independent entity off school property. Such instruction is defined in the act as a "released time course". The policy shall provide that students may be excused for up to three class periods per week or a maximum of 125 class periods per school year. The student's parent or legal guardian shall provide written consent prior to the student's participation in a released time course. No school district funds, except minimal administrative costs, shall be used, and no school personnel, equipment, or resources shall be involved in providing the instruction. The independent entity offering a released time course shall maintain attendance records and make them available to the school district and its board. Transportation to and from the instruction site shall be the responsibility of the independent entity, the student, or the student's parent or legal guardian. The independent entity or the student's parent or legal guardian shall indemnify and hold the school district harmless regarding any liability arising from student conduct that does not occur on school property under the district's control or supervision, and shall maintain adequate insurance for this purpose. The student shall be responsible for any missed school work. The school district superintendent, principal, or their designees shall have discretion over the scheduling and timing of released time courses, ensuring students are not excused during courses in English language arts, mathematics, science, or U.S. history. The school district, its school board, and the state shall not be liable for students participating in released time courses when the students are not under the district's control or supervision. For purposes of calculating average daily attendance and establishing compliance with the compulsory attendance law, a student attending a released time course shall be considered in attendance in the school district, and the time shall be counted as part of the school day. The school board shall award elective credit for work completed in a released time course, substantiated by a transcript from the independent entity providing the course. The evaluation of the course for credit should be neutral and secular, considering factors including classroom instruction time, course syllabus, assessment methods, and instructor qualifications. The provisions of the act shall not apply to charter schools or to virtual schools. This act is identical to SB 698 (2025) and similar to HB 2157 (2026) and HB 1393 (2025). OLIVIA SHANNON
Who sponsors SB 1165?
SB 1165 is sponsored by Mike Moon.
What is the current status of SB 1165?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced December 01, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 1165?
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