"Released-Time Moral Instruction Act of 2025"; enact to permit students to receive religious instruction during the school day.

HB 161, the "Released-Time Moral Instruction Act of 2025," would have allowed Mississippi public school students to leave campus for religious instruction during the school day, subject to parental consent. School boards could survey students and parents to identify those wanting to attend off-site religious instruction for one hour weekly, without penalizing students for missing regular classes. The bill prohibited schools from hosting or facilitating such instruction on school grounds and required schools to cover only the cost of the initial survey. The bill died in committee on February 4, 2025, and did not become law. It directly affected public school students in Mississippi who sought religious instruction with parental permission.