Latest news with #LifeWise
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Yahoo
Ex-employee can sue LifeWise for discrimination, state court filing says
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Ohio Civil Rights Council closed its investigation into LifeWise Academy, granting a former employee the right to sue. Former LifeWise instructor Rachel Snell alleged the organization forced her to resign when she refused to falsify her hours. LifeWise Academy, a religious instruction organization based in Hilliard, asked the Ohio Supreme Court to stop a state investigation into the claims, alleging it infringed on LifeWise's right to decide who spreads its religious message. Before the court could rule, the OCRC said the case is no longer relevant because the state agency already terminated its investigation. Intel reportedly considering major strategy change in manufacturers like Ohio plant According to court documents, Snell requested to withdraw her age-based discrimination claim in favor of a notice of right to sue. In Ohio, if someone alleges they were the victim of an employment law violation, they can only sue if they have first filed a charge with the OCRC and been granted a right to sue. In a court filing, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who represented the OCRC in the case, said the case should be dismissed as moot. Yost said a lawsuit into whether the state can investigate is no longer relevant if the case is closed. In the Supreme Court filing, LifeWise alleged Snell worked beyond the scope of her duties and was insubordinate. Snell claimed she faced a poor work environment at her chapter in western Ohio once it became clear that she, unlike a younger coworker, would not work for free and falsify her hours. Using the OCRC letter, Snell is considering letting a court decide. LifeWise did not voice concerns about the right to sue letter to NBC4. 'We're pleased that the OCRC investigation is closed,' a LifeWise spokesperson said. 'We remain committed to making character-based Bible education available to all Ohio families during school hours.' Boy, 17, identified as victim of fatal east Columbus party shooting Snell told NBC4 she had not realized accepting a right to sue letter would withdraw the charge, but she was glad to take it if it meant holding LifeWise accountable. She said LifeWise's court filing blamed her and included inaccuracies, which she said was inappropriate for a Christian organization. Snell said she and her family have prayed about it and understand a lawsuit may be necessary to move forward. If she wins a lawsuit against LifeWise, she said she has decided which charities she will give most of the settlement to, including other ministries geared toward children that Snell feels are better aligned with her morals. According to court documents, Snell can sue LifeWise over the alleged discrimination as long as she does it within the next two years. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Economist
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Economist
Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi spent her 80th birthday in a cell
She was once the great hope for Myanmar. Though Aung San Suu Kyi fell from grace – and now sits in jail – she still has much support. How LifeWise, a Christian group, is changing religious education in America. And what to make of butter yellow, the colour of the moment.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ohio liquor division ditches paper, moves permitting process online
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Ohio's process for acquiring and maintaining a liquor license has moved to an online system, impacting tens of thousands of permit-holders in the state. The state Division of Liquor Control launched its Ohio Permit and Licensing System (OPAL) on Wednesday, getting rid of paper liquor license applications and moving to a completely digital setup. The new platform allows visitors to apply for, renew and transfer permits. 'Switching to a fully paperless system allows staff to focus more on reviewing applications for compliance, rather than handling the administrative tasks involved with paper-based processes,' Paul Kulwinski, the division's deputy superintendent and director of licensing, said. Ohio senators work to ensure groups like LifeWise can send items back with students The system allows visitors 24/7 access to their accounts and to view real-time updates on their application statuses, according to the state division. Users can also pay relevant fees through the portal. 'This innovative system underscores our goal of providing a customer-friendly experience while ensuring robust oversight and the utilization of the latest compliance tools for Ohio's alcohol industry,' division superintendent Jackie DeGenova said. The liquor agency stated there is no immediate need for permit holders to log into OPAL. Existing permits will remain valid until they expire, and the division's staff will contact those who have pending applications about how to access the platform. The system will benefit the approximately 28,000 Ohio businesses with liquor licenses, as well as the thousands of nonprofit organizations who seek temporary permits to sell alcohol at special events, the department said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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
17-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bible education program comes at a cost, group says
May 16—LIMA — A popular offsite Bible class for public school students is restricting class time for students who don't participate, say the founders of the Secular Education Association. LifeWise Academy, the rapidly expanding Christian group that teaches children about the Bible through public school released-time for religious instruction waivers, is "using the public schools as a mission field," Molly Gaines said during a visit to Lima on Thursday. She and co-founder Zachary Parrish met with Allen County Democrats Thursday to discuss the evangelical mission behind LifeWise Academy and the influence they say the offsite Bible classes are having on students who don't participate. Other parents' choices 'affecting my child' Supporters defend LifeWise as an option for parents who want to incorporate religious instruction into their child's school day without having to enroll in a private school. Parents like Parrish argue the classes are still harmful because students who don't participate must repeat a class or stay behind in study hall while their peers are gone, so LifeWise students won't miss instructional time. Parrish started Parents Against LifeWise on Facebook, now known as the Secular Education Association, after learning his young daughter was sitting in study hall while her classmates were at LifeWise. The girl was in second grade. "When your choices start affecting my child's education, that's a problem," Parrish said. When Parrish shared his story online, he heard from other parents whose children experienced the same. "There's a lot of bullying, a lot of ostracizing" of students who don't go to LifeWise, he said. 'During school hours' Van Wert native Joel Penton founded LifeWise Academy after observing the success of Cross Over the Hill, an offsite Bible class for Van Wert schools. Penton streamlined the model by providing churches and volunteers with ready-made petitions, curriculum, fundraising support and instructions for how to lobby a school board to bring a LifeWise Academy to their local public schools. He relied on a little-known U.S. Supreme Court ruling that permits public school students to receive offsite religious instruction during the school day, so long as a parent consents and no public funds are used, to teach the Bible "during school hours." The program is spreading rapidly throughout the country, with LifeWise Academies available to all public schoolchildren in Allen County except Lima. Rapid expansion in Allen County Elida became the first district in Allen County to approve the release of students for LifeWise Academy, with the help of Christian broadcast network WTLW in 2020. The station purchased a bus and a home near the elementary school, which was converted into classrooms for LifeWise use. The network formed a subsidiary, ACTS Character Academy, to raise money for expenses. It now oversees academies in Allen East, Bath, Columbus Grove, Perry and Spencerville, providing staff and volunteers for each program. LifeWise programs in Shawnee and Delphos are operated independently of WTLW through the national LifeWise organization. The group inspired similar released-time programs like Kingdom Harvest Ministries, based in Celina, which is now available to children in Auglaize and Mercer counties. A moral education Structure varies from school to school. Students are typically excused during an elective or non-core classes like library, but schools may also use built-in free periods to release students for LifeWise. Attendance rates here average at 60% for grades 1-6, said Kevin Bowers, president of ACTS Ministries. Each Bible lesson is tied to a character trait like trustworthiness or honesty, with curriculum provided by the national LifeWise organization based on the Gospel Project. Bowers said most children do not attend church, but a majority of parents believe their children should receive character education, and most of those parents say the Bible should be the basis for that education, he said. "We don't apologize for the fact that the Bible is the basis for our program," Bowers said. "Some might call it indoctrination. We call it teaching. "Children are going to learn morals and ethics from somewhere, and it might as well be the Bible, in our view, because that's not only the foundation of Christian faith, but we believe in the foundation of our Western civilization." Children ask, 'Why won't you let me do this?' While the program is voluntary, parents like Parrish and Gaines say children are pressured by their peers to join LifeWise, which they say is contrary to how released-time programs functioned in the past. Now, children see LifeWise as a "party," Gaines said. "We have children coming home saying, 'Why won't you let me do this,'" Gaines said. "These are Jewish kids in second grade. They don't understand why they can't go to LifeWise." The academies brand themselves as inter-denominational Christian character education, but Gaines said the classes are designed to "indoctrinate" and "proselytize to every child" using a "narrow, hateful" interpretation of Christianity. "It's biblical literalism," she said. "It's evangelical in nature. (Children) are encouraged to proselytize not only to their friends, but to their family." "To say it's hateful almost doesn't deserve a response," Bowers said. He added, "It's been a blessing. It's actually helping schools accomplish what they want to accomplish, and that's to build well-rounded individuals that are going to participate in society and make good life decisions." Featured Local Savings
