Relating to excused absences from public school for the purpose of attending a released time course.

Contracts

• Vendor Agreements: Prohibited. Do not sign service contracts or exchange funds with religious entities for these courses.
• Data Sharing Agreements (MOUs): Execute MOUs with private entities to standardize the format and frequency of attendance reporting.
• Facility Use Agreements: If the private entity requests to use school property, require a standard Facility Use Agreement with indemnification clauses; this must be treated separately from the released time academic arrangement.

Hiring/Training

• Registrars & Attendance Clerks: Train staff on new attendance codes specific to "Section 25.0875 Released Time" to ensure these are logged as excused absences but distinguished from ADA-funding eligible presence.
• Instructional Staff: Train teachers that while they cannot penalize students for these absences, they are not required to reteach missed lessons; the burden of missed work lies statutorily with the student.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

• Parental Consent Forms: Create a mandatory intake form that explicitly cites Section 25.0875(c)(1)(D), acknowledging the school is not liable for the student during the released time.
• Attendance Verification: Establish a workflow to receive and audit attendance logs from private entities weekly. If a student is marked absent by the private entity, the school must revoke the excused status for that period.

Fees & Costs

• Transportation: Strictly Prohibited. Schools cannot fund or provide transportation. This cost falls entirely on the parent or private entity.
• Administrative Costs: Costs must remain "de minimis." Automate attendance data entry where possible to avoid violating the prohibition on using public funds for these courses.