Latest news with #SecularEducationAssociation
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
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
LifeWise Academy reports it has surpassed its growth goals for the school year
HILLIARD, Ohio (WCMH) — LifeWise Academy has surpassed its goals for the 2024 school year, and it has no intention of slowing down. According to the Impact Report released this month, LifeWise is working with more than 600 schools this school year, offering biblical education to over 40,000 students. The Hilliard-based organization offers Christian instruction during the school day to public students with parental permission under religious release time policies. See previous reporting on LifeWise in the video player above. 'We're proud of LifeWise staff, volunteers and supporters for the remarkable success we've had in making Bible-based character education accessible to thousands of kids across the country,' LifeWise CEO and founder Joel Penton said. 'Given Name Act' would restict names, pronouns in schools LifeWise entered the 2024 school year hoping to reach 425 schools, so Penton and Vice President of Advancement Derek Stemen were excited to announce the 600 milestone. The pair hosted a state of the ministry webinar in February where they unveiled LifeWise's 2025 theme: Coast to Coast. LifeWise celebrated other milestones too, including the release of its documentary, 'Off School Property: Solving the Separation of Church and State.' According to LifeWise, the documentary follows the 'historic removal of the Bible from public education' and calls audiences to help reinstate religion in secular government. The film was viewed by a member of the Secular Education Association, which was still named Parents Against LifeWise when member Sarah Paulett attended a screening in Ohio. She said the film was 'ethnocentric, racist and factually inaccurate' in its portrayal of American history. LifeWise and the Secular Education Association interacted many times in 2024, including through a copyright lawsuit after the group's founder published curricula online. Despite community pushback, LifeWise was still able to expand from 340 schools in 15 states in 2023 to its end of 2024 numbers. Not just DEI: Seven things to know about Ohio's sweeping higher ed bill As part of its key initiatives, LifeWise applauded legislation across three states, including Ohio, that passed laws ensuring public schools implement religious release policies. Ohio's new law mandating religious release policies goes into effect April 9. 'We're also thankful to the families and schools who have brought LifeWise to their communities,' Penton said. 'They have consistently told us that Bible education has made a tremendous difference in their children's lives, including improving their behavior and their academic performance.' Financially the group also had a successful year, doubling its revenue in 2024. According to the Impact Report, LifeWise spent just over $18 million last year, one-third to its 'vision fund' and two-thirds to 'program funds.' LifeWise said vision expenses cover growth costs, like marketing, growth initiatives and staff in proactive roles. Program funds cover current operations, including pay for local chapter staff, transportation from public schools and supplies. LifeWise's financial report for fiscal year 2024 shows five employees make more than $100,000 per year. Four of them are listed as part of the organization's eight-person leadership team: NAME TITLE SALARY Joel Penton* CEO/President $111,824 Steve Clifton* COO/CFO/Secretary/Vice President $183,532 Derek Stemen* Vice President of Advancement $113,381 Jeffrey Peterson* Vice President of Operations $101,800 Kurt Snedecor Director of Strategic Partnerships $100,500 The remaining leadership are Sara Spath (Vice President of Program Health), Nate Lundquist (Vice President of Creative), Emily Warner (Vice President of IT) and Jesse Vohwinkel (Vice President of Growth). Ohio group asks U.S. Supreme Court to allow student opt outs for LGBT+ lessons The report also celebrated LifeWise's new headquarters, where construction is nearing completion. LifeWise unveiled the headquarters' floor plan earlier this year, which includes a number of rooms and workspaces. According to site plans, the building has six primary spaces: Reception offices for visitors and program leaders arriving for training sessions Tressel Coaching Hall, named for Penton's former football coach at Ohio State, Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, will be an event space large enough for 300 people Smaller workspaces, including conference rooms and a coworking space for casual use Executive offices A multimedia studio to film movies and media appearances A patio for outdoor use The LifeWise Skestos Center is asking for large sponsorships for portions of the building, offered as 'giving opportunities.' These include $250,000 for a prayer room and $10,000 per event patio picnic table. Personalized patio bricks are also for sale, ranging from $250 to $1,000. Although LifeWise surpassed its 2024 goals, the organization said it has no intention of slowing down. LifeWise said it hopes to be in 10% of U.S. schools by 2030 and more than 90% within the next 35 years. 'We look forward to advancing our mission to make Bible-based character education available to every child,' Penton said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
