Latest news with #Dys
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio senators work to ensure groups like LifeWise can send items back with students
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Ohio Senate proposed requiring school districts to allow organizations like LifeWise to send trinkets, candy and other materials with students when they return to school. The Ohio Senate adjusted Ohio's release time for religious instruction law in its recently released draft of the state budget. Under the Senate's changes, public districts would have to allow RTRI organizations to send materials back with students and permit instruction on a near-weekly basis. The Spectrum: Lt. Gov. Tressel; Ohio budget; defense contractor setting up in central Ohio RTRI refers to legal religious instruction that occurs during the school day, off school property and with parental permission. Ohio's RTRI law recently changed; as of April 9, all public school districts have to allow religious release time, although districts have a lot of freedom in what those policies look like. If the budget passes in its current form, public districts like Columbus City Schools will have to adjust its policies. The Senate budget says districts must allow a minimum of 33 religious release lessons per school year and that schools' RTRI policies are not allowed to 'prohibit students from bringing external educational and program materials into school.' Several central Ohio schools have implemented policies prohibiting organizations from sending students back with trinkets, candy or materials to minimize disruptions. When Ohio's biggest school district, Columbus City Schools, banned organizations from distributing materials to take back to school, LifeWise founder and CEO Joel Penton said not distributing materials would not affect how families choose to participate in LifeWise. In April, LifeWise initiated a lawsuit over policies like CCS's. See previous coverage of CCS's policy change in the video player above. LifeWise, a Hilliard-based RTRI organization that has expanded biblical education nationwide, sued Ohio educational consultant firm Neola for its sample policies, which included an option ban on distributing materials. Using First Liberty Institute's legal team, LifeWise alleged Neola's sample RTRI policies violated the First Amendment. Ohio State announces every student will use AI in class Neola senior advisor Patrick Corbett told NBC4 in April that Neola shared the policy with its hundreds of clients, all Ohio public school districts, that then chose which parts to include. LifeWise warned Neola that school districts that choose to adopt the policies it was challenging would open themselves up to lawsuits. NBC4 reached out to LifeWise for comment on the Senate budget but was referred to Jeremy Dys, senior counsel at First Liberty, who represents LifeWise in its Neola case. Dys said since April, Neola has acknowledged the concerns and agreed to share them with their clients, although Neola client CCS's policy remains unchanged. Dys said he is glad to see Ohio take a stand against those policies in the state budget. 'Ohio is to be commended for its commitment to accommodate the schedules of its students to give parents the opportunity to seek a program of outside religious instruction,' Dys said. The state budget draft also acknowledges RTRI organizations' concerns about districts limiting how often students can go to those programs. These were the closest races in Ohio's primary election A school year in Ohio lasts around 36-40 weeks, with the state mandating 910 hours of instruction for K-6 grades and 1,001 for grades 7-12, with districts meeting those requirements on their own schedules. By requiring school districts to permit at least 33 RTRI sessions each year, the budget would ensure students can attend on a near-weekly basis. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost warned school districts in April against stopping RTRI groups from distributing materials or severely limiting how frequently students can attend. He agreed that banning materials could constitute a First Amendment violation and that limiting meetings could be interpreted as not properly complying with the law. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Attorney says policies restricting LifeWise, like those in Columbus schools, could violate First Amendment
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – LifeWise Academy's attorneys are challenging religious release time policy recommendations, warning they could lead to lawsuits for school districts like Columbus City Schools. First Liberty Institute is representing biblical education provider LifeWise in its fight against Neola, the North East Ohio Learning Associates. Neola, an educational policy consultant group, received a letter Wednesday from First Liberty that alleged its sample religious release time policies violate the First Amendment. The letter warned school districts that implement Neola's policies could face litigation. Is 3rd time a charm? Marysville schools puts levy on ballot 'What Neola is doing, and other school districts seem to want to do, is throwing a bunch of tacks in the road for parents to be able to access released time education, and that they cannot do,' Jeremy Dys, First Liberty's senior counsel, said. Neola provides sample policies and advice to more than 500 Ohio schools, including many in central Ohio. Senior adviser Patrick Corbett said Neola did not require any districts to implement any policy. He said Neola simply offers a variety of suggestions and told clients to be prepared to defend their choices if they choose a more involved RTRI policy. Neola has offered guidance on religious release, or short-term absences for religious instruction during the school day, since 2016, but the need for policy guidance recently intensified in Ohio. As of April 9, all public schools are required to implement policies permitting religious release time instruction. Ohio law requires districts to collaborate with providers to schedule release time, but otherwise leaves district policy obligations fairly open-ended. The law allows districts to require background checks for instructors and volunteers and says boards of education shall determine how those checks are conducted. 'Corporate greed': Moreno sends scathing letter to CEOs over Chillicothe paper mill closure Dys said there is nothing in Ohio law permitting school districts to take liberties with their policies. However, there is also nothing prohibiting them from doing so. 'Whether it is materials being sent home through release time education or other levels of bureaucracy that are not mandated under this statute, school districts are taking an inch of authority and turn it into a mile of power to prevent release time education from going forward at all,' Dys said. LifeWise voiced concerns with three facets of Neola's sample policy, which have already been implemented in districts like Columbus, Upper Arlington and Worthington schools. In turn, Neola alleged LifeWise's legal challenge failed to meet legal requirements. 'My sense from the latest volley of correspondences is that providers want to tell districts what to do, which is not collaboration,' Corbett said. LifeWise alleges policies that ban groups from distributing trinkets, candy or other materials violate the First Amendment by not extending the same restrictions to other groups. Corbett said Neola did not force any schools to implement that restriction but said districts have a right to set policies. New tenants coming soon to Easton, including Princess Polly, burger restaurant On April 10, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost acknowledged districts have freedom to dictate their policies but cautioned against inhibiting any religious group's operations. Yost said banning distribution of materials prevents programs from sending literature, lesson books or Bibles home with students, which could violate the First Amendment if these restrictions are not mirrored for secular organizations. 'We did not suggest — and I don't believe districts are — imposing any restrictions on what organizations do within the confines of their programs off campus,' Corbett said. Critics of LifeWise have claimed sending candy or toys back with students can be distracting and makes nonparticipating kids feel left out. Dys placed the responsibility to limit distractions back on teachers. 'This would be second nature to teachers and administrators across the state of Ohio,' Dys said. 'They don't need to resort to censoring otherwise protected First Amendment activity, and that's precisely what Neola has recommended that school districts do.' Ohio's biggest school district, Neola client Columbus City Schools, implemented a policy banning these handouts in March. At the time, LifeWise CEO and Founder Joel Penton said the requirements would not change parents' reasons for sending students to LifeWise. Ohio has few laws dictating what religious organizations can and cannot do. Generally, case law says districts cannot make rules that only apply to religious expression. Under those interpretations, districts could only make rules for groups if they also apply to other groups that take students out of the school day with parent permission. Ohio calls out weight-loss drug false advertising LifeWise also voiced concerns about Neola's background check policies, which said a district could refuse to release students to an organization that does not complete a 'satisfactory' background check. Dys said the word 'satisfactory' is too subjective and could allow districts to use the term to stop RTRI participation entirely. Corbett said they included those provisions because the law specifically allowed them to require background checks. He said they based the language off what Neola uses for its employees. LifeWise proposed replacement policies requiring annual confirmation that it has completed criminal background checks and no workers have criminal convictions that would result in a teacher losing their license. LifeWise already completes background checks for all of its volunteers and instructors. However, parents voiced concerns about these background checks last July when NBC4 revealed a LifeWise director had been fired from an Ohio school and surrendered her license after allegedly sexting a minor student. Ohio law prohibits students from leaving during a core curriculum subject course, but districts have some freedom to determine what qualifies. One Neola policy suggestion reads, 'The Board deems all graded courses to be core curriculum.' This could leave lunch or recess in theory, but Dys said it could also be used to stop organizations from operating altogether. Chocolate lovers may see sticker shock due to Trump's tariff tactics Dys said districts with policies like these on the books should consider the letter to Neola as a 'warning.' 'They have an opportunity to correct that behavior and open up into the avenues to release time education that the legislature clearly mandated,' Dys said. 'If they choose to do otherwise, then that liability remains.' First Liberty requested a response from Neola within 30 days, including a list of all districts that have adopted Neola's policy or received advice from Neola on their policies. Corbett said he did not think such a list existed. NBC4 reached out to LifeWise, Worthington schools and Columbus for comment but did not receive responses. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
