This Act may be cited as the Religious Instruction and Observances in Public Schools Act 1962, and shall be read together with and deemed part of the Education Act 1914 (hereinafter referred to as the principal Act).

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in subsection (4) of section 56 of the principal Act and notwithstanding the hours defined under section 32 of that Act for the opening and closing of any public school, if the School Committee for the school district in which the school is situated, after consultation with the Head Teacher, so determines, any class or classes at the school, or the school as a whole, may be closed at any time or times of the school day for a period not exceeding thirty minutes for any class in any week for the purposes of religious instruction given by voluntary instructors approved by the School Committee and of religious observances conducted in a manner approved by the School Committee or for either of those purposes; and the school buildings may be used for those purposes or for either of them.

No pupil enrolled at a public school shall be required to attend or take part in any such instruction or observances if any parent or guardian of the pupil does not wish the pupil to take part therein and makes his or her wishes known in writing to the Head Teacher of the school.

Any parent or guardian who has given such an indication of wishes may at any time withdraw it.

Any teacher at a public school shall, if the School Committee for the school district in which the school is situated so approves, at his request be freed from school duties for up to thirty minutes a week to allow him to take part in his own school in religious instruction and religious observances or either, but no person shall directly or indirectly bring any pressure to bear on a teacher to induce the teacher to take any such part, and the position of any teacher and his opportunities for appointments and for promotion shall not be adversely affected because he does not take part in religious instruction and religious observances or either.

Nothing in this Act shall affect religious instruction or religious observances in schools other than public schools.