Westerville City Schools Board of Education voted 4-0 last week to end a religious release time policy that allowed LifeWise Academy to take public school students out of class to conduct Bible instruction during school hours.
“I have significant concerns about the disruptions caused by pulling kids out of school during the middle of the day,” said Westerville Board of Education President Kristy Meyer during the Board’s meeting on Sept. 30. “We have such limited time with the students, and there is a lot that needs to happen to ensure they transition in and out of school safely and efficiently.”
Based in Hilliard, Ohio, LifeWise Academy works with public schools to integrate Bible classes into their weekly class schedules. Parent permitted, and privately funded, the program takes students off of school property to give students teachings on the Bible.
“Westerville School Board’s decision to deny hundreds of students access to Bible-based character lessons during the school day is disappointing,” Joel Penton, founder and CEO of LifeWise Academy, said in a written statement. “We have heard from families, teachers and community members who have seen the overwhelmingly positive impact that LifeWise has had on students who participate in the program.”
Hundreds of supporters wearing red shirts bearing the organization’s name attended the Westerville Board of Education meeting, condemning the board’s decision and arguing in favor of LifeWise.
“I am part of a growing awareness that the Westerville board is seemingly adopting a subjective position that will disenfranchise children whose parents wish to include a character-based Christian education through released time, a program that is offered in accordance with federal, state and local statutes and law,” said Don Heasley, reading a message on behalf of his son, Colin.
“The constitution is very clear that RTRI (released time for religious instruction) is an expression that is consistent with the right of religious freedom and a protected expression,” said Ross Adelman, Pastor at Vineyard Church. “Disruption is not a reason for removing this.”
“They teach character building, and moral character traits,” argued Kris Moore, a local Westerville resident. “Christians and churches from various denominations are working to improve society, the family unit, and kids to succeed in school and life, and to have safe lives.”
Other Westerville residents believed the school board was making the right decision.
“Perhaps this type of programming should be called into question. As it stands, is it in the best interest of students, or is it in the best interest of a certain organization?” asked Marymoor Saana, a Muslim alumni of Westerville City Schools. “I am Muslim, and a lot of Muslim youth in America have been going to weekend classes for Islamic religious education growing up, because it isn’t necessary to have me leave the classroom to practice or learn about my religion. The assertion is preposterous and not based on a lot of people’s realities.”
Others brought up why religious instruction can’t take place outside of school learning hours.
“I was raised to know that religious teaching belongs in the home, at the church, with your friends, with your family, and those various people that believe the way you do,” said Dr. Allison Baer, an Associate Professor at the University of Findlay, and mother of Center for Christian Virtue President Aaron Baer. “If this program, and this teaching, is so vital to their Christian life, why isn’t it offered after school, which would help working parents with free after school child care?”
Others questioned possible political motivations.
“Westerville City Schools preaches diversity, equity and inclusion. But diversity, equity, and inclusion does not call for every human being to be a Christian,” said Luke Bauman, a Westerville resident. “It is the goal of LifeWise, tied closely with Project 2025, to dismantle public education from the inside out.”
What is the history of Released Time for Religious Instruction?
The concept of released time for religious instruction has been debated in the American education system for decades upon decades.
The first released time program was created by Dr. William Albert Wirt, Superintendent of Schools in Gary, Indiana, in 1914, enlisting 600 students to enroll in off-site religious instruction during the school day. Other schools began to copy this idea, and by 1922, 40,000 students in 200 school districts throughout 23 states had their own version. By 1947, the number had grown to 2 million students in 2,200 communities.
The movement’s growth was hindered by the Supreme Court decision McCollum v. Board of Education in 1948, when the court ruled that released time programs were unconstitutional and violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
The later Supreme Court case Zorach v. Clauson in 1952 permitted New York’s released time program, since public facilities and funds were not used for religious instruction, and the students were not forced to attend.
In Ohio, school districts are allowed to adopt a released time policy if it meets the following requirements: the students’ parents or guardian gives written consent, the courses take place off school property, and are privately funded, including transportation of the student to and from the facility.
What is LifeWise Academy?
Founded in 2018, LifeWise began with two schools in two counties: Ayersville Schools in Ayersville, Ohio (serving grades 1-6) and Riverview Schools in Conesville, Ohio (serving grades 1-3). Since then, LifeWise Academy has grown exponentially. As of 2024, 30,000 students in 330 schools across 13 states participate in the LifeWise Program, with 181 school districts in Ohio working alongside them.
According to their latest IRS filing, LifeWise has $13,909,365, of which $13,270,525 came from grants and contributions. According to a list compiled by Parents Against LifeWise Academy, an advocacy group opposing the organization, the academy has received grants from groups including the Foundation of the Catholic Diocese of Columbus, the National Christian Charitable Foundation, and the J.P Morgan Chase Foundation.
Although the atheist Freedom from Religion Foundation sent letters to 600 school districts in Ohio opposing the group, Attorney General Dave Yost reaffirmed the legality of LifeWise, writing “released-time programs are not new or legally controversial in the least. Unlike some of the latest, hotly contested issues, the validity of such programs was confirmed long ago.”
While largely nonpartisan in its promotional material, LifeWise Academy has affiliated itself with numerous far-right religious and conservative groups in Ohio, and across the U.S.
LifeWise is a gold level sponsor of the Essential Summit, a two-day conference organized by religious lobbying organization the Center for Christian Virtue, who’ve helped craft school choice laws and anti-trans bills in Ohio. CCV is listed as a hate group, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The keynote speaker of the CCV summit was Project 2025 architect Kevin Roberts.
LifeWise CEO Joel Penton has spoken on podcasts from the Heritage Foundation and the Family Research Council, two of the most powerful right-wing think tanks in the United States. Penton also appeared on the Truth&Liberty Live Call in show, which advocates for the 7 Mountains Mandate, an extreme right-wing movement within Christianity that seeks to overtake seven “spheres of influence” in society, including media, government, and the arts.
What’s Next for LifeWise
The Westerville City Schools decision is the latest setback for LifeWise.
The Huron City School Board decided in a majority vote to end their released time policy on Aug. 20 this year. Prior to them, the Vermillion Board of Education also voted on June 29 against starting their own program.
Bowling Green City Schools, Johnson-Monroe City Schools, Gahanna-Jefferson City Schools, and Sylvania City Schools have also come out against the released time policy.
In his emailed statement, LifeWise CEO Joel Penton said the Westerville City Schools decision “clearly underscores why the legislature must work expediently to pass HB 445, which requires school districts to adopt policies for religious released time instruction, providing more clarity to communities that want to implement such a program.”
Introduced on March 12 this year, HB 445 would require Ohio schools to provide a released time policy, changing the language of the existing law in the Ohio Revised Code from “may,” to “shall.”
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