Renee and Susan go over the new, legislatively forced policies addressing book bans and letting kids miss school for religious instruction. First up: an overhaul of Policy 3210 that expands who can challenge instructional and library materials from parents to essentially anyone in the community, opening the door to coordinated, repeat book challenges under the guise of "fairness." Then: a new "released time" policy that requires schools to let students miss up to 160 hours of instruction a year for off-campus religious teaching with Susan and Renee digging into LifeWise Academy, the Ohio-based organization pushing this nationwide, its own stated goal of reinstalling religion in public schools, and the troubling track record that comes with it.

It's a dense one, but they close with concrete ways to push back: showing up to speak at your school board meeting, or emailing your board members directly about the safeguards these policies still need.

Have thoughts on this episode? Join the conversation and find more ways to get involved at saveourschoolsnc.org.

(00:40) Two policies, one late state budget
(01:10) Policy 3210: how book challenges work today
(04:57) What's changing: challenges opened up to the whole community
(07:40) Review timelines and the "one guy" problem
(09:27) Show up and speak: getting involved at school board meetings
(11:02) The real goal behind the book policy
(14:11) Released time for religious instruction, explained
(16:25) The hypocrisy of the attendance crackdown
(17:52) Requested safeguards: background checks, no ads, no prizes
(18:58) LifeWise Academy: the group behind "released time"
(20:40) Predators, peer pressure, and disrupted classrooms
(23:11) Where school board members stand
(26:43) There's no shortage of ways to get religious instruction
(28:49) What you can do next

Advocacy Bites is hosted by Susan Book and Renee Sekel. Learn more and get involved at saveourschoolsnc.org.