LifeWise Academy was founded in 2018 as a free program that provides Bible education for public school students during school hours under released time laws.
About
LifeWise Academy was founded by Joel Penton, a former Ohio State defensive lineman, in 2018. The organization was inspired by the weekday religious education program in his hometown of Van Wert, Ohio, in 2012. At the launch of Van Wert's program, 30% of eligible students were enrolled and by its third year, 95% were enrolled. The district reached out to Penton to help understand the barriers to implementing similar programs in other communities.
The organization is based in Hilliard, Ohio and as of 2023, the organization anticipates operating in 300 schools across 11 states including Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Penton has said released-time programs are the "single greatest missed opportunity to impact the next generation of public school students with Biblical literacy" and the organization has "received far less resistance than we anticipated."
Programming
LifeWise Accademy operate under released time for religious instruction laws which were upheld in the 1952 Supreme Court ruling, Zorach v. Clauson.. This ruling allowed a school district to allow students to leave school for part of the day to receive religious instruction. However, three requirements needed to be met: classes are off school property; it's privately funded; and students participate with the permission of their parents.
Programs implemented in school districts are led by a steering committee that oordinate with school officials. These programs are staffed by a director, teachers and volunteers, who help transport students and assist in classrooms as needed. Programs cost $20 per student to operate with LifeWise branding and access to the organization's resources. These fees also help with the insurance costs and background checks. LifeWise also helps local programs with securing a location, transportation, and funding.
LifeWise Academy's curriculum is based on The Gospel Project, a Christ-centered, chronological Bible study program produced by LifeWay Christian Resources. It focuses on the elementary level and is designed as a five-year program that takes students from the Book of Genesis to Revelation. Students attend class one day a week and classes complement Bible study with character development. In Ohio, the instruction can't take place during a “core curriculum” subject.
Pushback
Imlementing LifeWise programs have divided communities with parents feeling it was innappropriate for public schools to implement religious studies. Other parents have expressed concerns that children unenrolled in the program would not receiving instruction during the time other students attend LifeWise's programs. Others expressed concerns for children of other faiths, citing a desire to make outside instruction more equitable.
In 2021, Catholic leaders expressed concerns with the Protestant-oriented LifeWise Academy urging parishioners not to participate in or financially support the program, fearing the LifeWise curriculum could draw children away from the tenets of their Catholic faith.
In 2023, objection letters were dispatched to around 600 school districts in Ohio by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), expressing concerns about the endorsement of LifeWise's released-time Bible classes. The organization had been contacted by Ohioians concerned about how large-scale released time religious programs can negatively impact educational goals and that students have a First Amendment right to be free from religious indoctrination.
School districts with LifeWise programs
Below is a partial list of school districts who have implemented LifeWise programs: