Released Time program for some L.A. kids means 'church'

Image: Christian Educators Association

For many fourth- and fifth-graders in the Los Angeles school districts where the program is permitted, their 45-minute weekly Bible study class -- sanctioned under California law in what is known as “Released Time” -- is a first look at faith.

Sometimes, it's their only look.

As director of Released Time in the districts of Long Beach, Bellflower, and Compton, Pastor John Atkinson said the program's impact is significant.

“For a lot of kids, Released Time is church for them,” Atkinson said. “Typically, in our district and in most districts that I know of, the enrollment runs about 60 percent un-churched kids. In talking with parents we find that a lot of the parents just haven't given their kids any spiritual training and so they think this is a chance for them to learn something about the Bible.

“We have a lot of kids that are from single-parent family homes and moms work. They want to have their kids have some kind of exposure. They are just not able to take them to church,” he said.

However, implementation of the program has been a challenge. The state law only allows for an hour, including travel time. That means that in the 25 to 30 schools each year with the classes under Atkinson's direction, there is only about 45 minutes of teaching time. Fourth and 5th grade level student curriculum fits best with the regulations and that is why the focus on these students, he said.

“We get them whenever we can get them. Often, in our program, we get them on what is called a teacher training day when kids are released from the classroom about an hour early,” Atkinson said.

The limited time allowed isn't the only challenge. Under law, the Released Time classes must not be held in school classrooms. Atkinson's program, which began in 1986, evolved from the necessity to adapt.

“We were told that there was a way to bring kids off the public school campus and share the Bible with them and it just so happened that we lived right across the street from a elementary school,” he said. “We thought, well, we'll give it a try and right up to this time, we still bring kids from Monroe Elementary School into our home every week. We enlarged our living room and have had classes as high as 25 to 30 kids.”

The idea of releasing public school students for devotional religious study off school premises in the United States was first discussed in 1905 at a conference in New York City. The proposal was that public elementary schools should be closed one day a week in addition to Sunday so those parents who so desired could have their children attend religious instruction outside of the school building.

Off campus

Atkinson explains, “The whole concept went before the Supreme Court in 1952. They said you can do this as long as you don't in any way use taxpayer money that is delegated to schools. So, we have to be very careful that none of this is done using school properties or facilities. We had to take the kids off the school campus and that means we have to find a place that is very close by the school. If you have them 45 minutes to an hour, you don't want to spend a lot of time transporting them. So we always look for a church or possibly a home. We'd rather meet at a church and that's what we typically do. But, my program has three big mobile classrooms that we can take right to a school.”

The buses have had the seats removed and equipped with generators and air conditioners. “We've really equipped them as a mobile classroom so that we can have PA systems on them and so forth so that the teachers can teach the kids in a comfortable environment,” he said.

Asking for Released Time

The program's success has had parents of other students not enrolled in the program asking their schools to implement Released Time, said Atkinson, who pastors Calvary Chapel North Long Beach.

“We really try to get the word out to local churches for the parents to watch for those registration cards (where the program has been accepted). We really think there is a place for Release Time for both Christian and non-Christian kids. When we have a group that has both, those are great classes. Just because you have the dynamic of kids that know something about the Bible and you have kids that have never even held a Bible.”

Some schools and districts, although leery of making public statements, welcome the program with open arms.

“They see the fruits that come out of this program in changing the character of kids. I'm not going to say that every kid that goes to Released Time has a character transformation, but there is enough of a change that they know that the program makes a significant contribution to the kids that are enrolled in it,” he said. “They do have encounters with the Lord. The Lord does impact their lives in such a way that school personnel notices that. They say, 'come on back.'”

When asked about his own feeling about the program, Atkinson said, “My satisfaction is when some kid who is grown up comes up to me and says, 'Hey, you were my Released Time teacher and I still have my Released Time Bible. I am following the Lord. I'm walking with the Lord.'

“That is the greatest blessing,” Atkinson said.