This paper presents arguments in favor of, and legal and constitutional guidelines for, religious released time education programs as a workable counterbalance for those concerned with the trend toward secularism in public education. The guidelines are necessarily general, because laws regarding the authority of school districts to adopt released time programs and the legality of such programs vary from state to state. Using a question-and-answer format, the paper addresses the following issues: (1) arguments for and against the adoption by school districts of a released time program; (2) the authority of local school districts to choose whether to adopt a released time program; (3) who may operate a released time program, and who may participate; (4) basic guidelines for financing and administering released time programs; (5) limits on the amount of time available for religious instruction, and states' power to cut out released time programs by reducing the required minimum number of hours in a school day; (6) informing parents about released time programs and obtaining their consent; (7) division of responsibility for management of such programs between religious organizations and public schools; (8) procedural guidelines for releasing students from public school classes for religious instruction; (9) activities for students not involved in such programs; (10) custodial, elective, eligibility, and state funding credit for released time; (11) public school supervision over content and teaching of released time courses; (12) legal and illegal religious studies in public schools; and (13) crucial distinctions in two contrasting Supreme Court decisions regarding released time. (TE)