The program has to meet three legal requirements: it has to take place off school grounds, it can’t be school funded, and parent permission is needed to enroll their kids.
LifeWise is designed to teach children in grades first through third about character and good citizenship based on scriptures, organizers said.
It uses a story from the Bible and connects it to character development, such as being respectful or gratitude, “so that it’s usable.”
“I think the biggest thing is that there are positive results for taking part” in the program, said David Speas, LifeWise’s Clark County board chair. “I just think that in today’s world, people are looking for things that will bring positive results in their children’s lives and a lot of data that shows this LifeWise program is doing just that.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, which said it promotes the constitutional principle of separation of state and church, sent a letter to more than 600 Ohio school districts at the end of August to urge schools not to participate. The letter said the LifeWise program can harm educational goals.
Speas said in a survey of 1,123 parents, 77% of them felt their kids made better decisions after LifeWise classes, 96% recommended other parents enroll their children in the program, and 88% said there were conversations at home about character development and the things children learned in class.
“I thought that was interesting and just one of the reasons that I really got involved in this because there’s a practical part to this and that is they are going to learn a lesson that they are going to apply to their daily lives,” he said. “Personally, talking to a couple of the principals who have this (program) in their schools, they say their (student) behavior was better after the first year and improved throughout the school.”
Speas taught in Clark-Shawnee for 27 years and is a former school board member.
Director Brad Webb said the academy will start with 11 students in grades first through third at Shawnee Elementary School. However, at the least, they expect enrollment to be 90 students by the end of the school year.
“Because it’s a new program, the number is low,” he said. “Our program will grow. It’s just a matter of time.”
For the students who participate, the academy will transport the kids by bus from the school to the church and back, a 2.2-miles trip each way. LifeWise will use a 77-passenger red bus with the ability to include disabled students.
The students will attend the program once a week for about 40 minutes on Tuesdays, with 25 to 30 minutes of actual program time. There will be one class in the morning and two classes in the afternoon, taught by three different teachers.
“None of this occurs during any of the kid’s core curriculum. The program time is based on their specials, like art, music, PE and library,” Webb said. “What makes our program unique is it’s during school,” and not an after-school program.”
Students can enroll at any time throughout the year.
The academy is non-denominational and lessons are taken directly from scriptures, Speas said.
Freedom From Religion Foundation’s letter countered that.
“They seek to indoctrinate and convert public school students to evangelical Christianity by convincing public school districts to partner with them in bringing LifeWise released time bible classes to public school communities,” the group’s letter to schools said.
Speas said the program came to the county after a group of people including Lt. Gov. John Husted met. Speas said the only superintendent who attended the meeting was Brian Kuhn of Clark-Shawnee.
When Speas joined the board, he presented the program to the Clark-Shawnee school board, and members approved offering LifeWise to their students, making the district the first in the county to approve the program.
“All we are doing is responding and complying with the law,” said Superintendent Brian Kuhn said. “Schools can’t be involved with the facilitation in any way ... We have to be all hands-off per the law.”
Kuhn said parents must consent in writing for children to attend the program, and LifeWise has to keep an attendance record and provide it to the school. LifeWise assumes all liability for the students and is responsible for the transportation to and from the school and church.
LifeWise Academy is in 320 districts in 13 states. Webb said when he was hired to the academy at the end of March, the program was in 211 districts in five states.
“LifeWise in general, if it was to have any flaw, it’s just they’re expanding at such a rate it’s a hard time keeping up with the growth,” he said.
Supporters said the academy is legal because of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1952 in Zorach v. Clauson, as well as Ohio Revised Code 3313.6022, allowing a school district to let students leave the school for part of the day for religious instruction.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation letter said the program also pressures students to take part, and those who do not take part often do not get substantive lessons while peers attend bible classes. Those who do attend also “miss valuable educational time,” the letter said.
The LifeWise religious education program recently opened near Nevin Coppock Elementary School in Tipp City, where first graders will attend the classes once a week. The program started in a temporary location in September at the Upper Room Worship Center, which is located near the school and across Hyatt Street. Organizers there hope the residence on Westedge Drive they bought over the summer will be ready for classes by January.
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