No specific reason was given for the sudden change. But I’ll beat a dead horse and tell you the reason is that Lifewise Academy, the City, and the School District violated the Federal Supreme Court rulings and Indiana law governing how released time religious programs may operate.

A quick reminder on the legal rulings for released time religious instruction. There are only a few, and they are usually very easy to understand. Zorach v. Clauson is the most frequently cited Supreme Court case regarding released time, and Indiana has a state law that defines how released time must operate. Lifewise lobbied for changes to the state law and was present when the Governor signed the bill. The fact that Lifewise didn’t know they were breaking the law is comical.

“The program involves neither religious instruction in public schools nor the expenditure of public funds.”
Zorach v. Clauson (1952)

“not be supported, in whole or in part, by public funds.”
Indiana Statute 20-33-2-19

The project to construct a Lifewise building on property owned by the City of Woodburn, Indiana, began as early as December 2023. For two and a half years, the City and Lifewise Academy coordinated efforts to construct a classroom on public property. Meetings discussing contracts, passing resolutions, permits, plans, etc…

Construction started on June 24, 2026. Lifewise Academy East Allen County posted photos of the work starting. The post has since been removed from Facebook. During a City Council meeting on July 6, 2026, the council voted not to discuss the project. Two and a half years of work, thousands of dollars spent, and now they can’t discuss the project. All because I started asking questions.

Lifewise Academy has teams of lawyers. Local representation, First Liberty Institute, and the Alliance for Defending Freedom have all provided legal support to Lifewise. Thousands of dollars in local donations have been used for the Woodburn project. The project had a $40,000 budget according to the plans submitted to the county. Lifewise Academy takes a portion of all donations. The corporation has already received its cut of the money. If the project fails, it does not impact the national office.

Released time programs have been ruled legal. Lifewise beats the drum that the programs are legal as long as three rules are followed. 1. Off school property. 2. Privately funded. 3. Parent approved. Lifewise fails to educate the public and, clearly, its own staff, about what the Supreme Court ruled.

“The government must be neutral when it comes to competition between sects….
… We sponsor an attitude on the part of government that shows no partiality to any one group and that lets each flourish according to the zeal of its adherents and the appeal of its dogma.”
Zorach v. Clauson (1952)

Governments must be neutral. Religious groups can operate released time programs and purchase land to build classrooms adjacent to school buildings. They cannot receive public land or buildings free of charge. The government, using its time and resources to facilitate the construction of religious facilities on public property, violates the law. Not only did it violate the law, but it also wasted local donations.

To understand what the City of Woodburn was doing for Lifewise Academy, watch all City Council meetings in which the topic was discussed. This is only what was publicly discussed. Public record requests are still pending. The full scope is still unknown.

If you see something, speak up.

I am still waiting for the City of Woodburn, Indiana, to fulfill or deny the records request. However, I did receive a letter from the mayor’s attorney that contained some interesting, and one would assume unnecessary, language.

…

As also previously indicated to you, the APRA does not set any specific time period for producing public records, but rather only for responding to the request. This letter should serve as the City’s initial response and acknowledgment of receipt of your July 6, 2026, request, not as a denial of said request. Despite the same, the City reserves the right to assert any and all defenses the City may have under the APRA or other applicable law, including but not limited to the right to deny your request, either in part or in whole, if it is found to be not in compliance with the APRA or outside its scope.

…

Kevin Bruns
Beers Mallers, LLP Attorneys at Law

Woodburn, IN, Records Request Response

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I added the highlighting to ensure the line stood out. This is merely a public records request to a public office. There is no lawsuit; there is no trial the City is defending itself against. The Indiana law referenced in the letter was created to stop people from fishing for records. This situation is very different. There are public records of construction on City property for a Lifewise building, and there are comments at public meetings about the construction. Requests for public records should not be treated as a legal attack on the City. But Woodburn appears to be on the defensive.

The East Allen County Schools (EACS) have also used legal means to prevent the release of records documenting their coordination with Lifewise Academy regarding the construction of a building on public property adjacent to the school. The approved plans show Lifewise using the school’s parking lot, and no plumbing is being installed in the Lifewise building, so it’s assumed Lifewise would use the school’s facilities.

The school district's response cites a letter from the Indiana Public Access Counselor. The letter suggests that searching an email system for keywords, dates, and other characteristics is a wild goose chase. In fact, most government agencies use Google or Microsoft email services. These platforms include built-in tools for record retention, search, and discovery. It is not a wild goose chase.

EACS Public Records Request Response

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EACS uses Microsoft Exchange for hosted email. The tools for record searches are built in, and results can be easily exported. The public records laws exist to support the public. Protecting the actions of public agencies behind these laws was not their intention.

The City of Woodburn, Indiana, and the local school district are providing public resources to a ministry and using all legal means to block or delay access to records about the project. There have been no responses from the City or School District regarding actions that violate Indiana law on public entities supporting released-time programs like Lifewise Academy.

Indiana State law 20-33-2-19 requires that RTRI programs “not be supported, in whole or in part, by public funds.”

The silence is probably the answer.

What is Lifewise Academy?

Lifewise Academy is a Christian ministry that removes students from school during the school day for Bible classes. This practice is commonly known as released time religious instruction (RTRI). Lifewise calls itself non-denominational, yet its curriculum is drawn from the Southern Baptist Convention. Lifewise describes itself as a locally run grassroots program, but much of the local funding goes to its corporate headquarters in Hilliard, Ohio, where it is used to lobby across the country to change laws and to force coordination between public schools and Lifewise.

Indiana State Law for Released Time Religious Instruction

In 2024, Lifewise Academy lobbied the Indiana legislature to amend state law, requiring public school districts to coordinate with Lifewise Academy. Before the change, districts could choose whether to coordinate with Lifewise. This didn’t mean that RTRI was prohibited or that parents couldn’t sign their children out for religious classes; it simply meant the school could choose not to participate or set its own rules and policies. Under the new law, all school districts are now required to coordinate with Lifewise.

Indiana State law 20-33-2-19 requires that RTRI programs “not be supported, in whole or in part, by public funds.” 

The City of Woodburn, Indiana, Goes Silent

The City of Woodburn, Indiana, approved the construction project, and work began on or about June 24, 2026. At the July 6, 2026, Woodburn City Council meeting, contractor Jake Gentz raised several issues with the project. The main issue was determining how to run power to the new building. The city has plans for future expansion of the property, and the placement of the building and utilities will not be allowed. After Gentz presented his information, a motion to table the discussion and not discuss anything was made. It was seconded and passed. The video is long. At the 5:15 mark, the city states that they should table the discussion.

Prior to this meeting, I sent the City of Woodburn a public records request. I believe this request has led the city to conclude that it should not discuss the project. The city acknowledged the request, but later, the city’s attorney required a different form to be completed to process it. That form has been returned, but the city now says it might deprioritize the request.

According to the city, construction of the Lifewise classroom is still progressing, but the city cannot discuss the project. The city has a construction company building on the water tower property and has decided it cannot answer the contractor's questions about the project it approved. All because I asked for public records. Let that sink in. When asked, the Mayor had no comment on whether the city was supporting a religious organization or violating Indiana state law.

The city’s response to my public records request is below.

City of Woodburn, IN, Response to Records Request

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East Allen County Schools Approves Use of Facilities

The East Allen County Schools Woodlan Elementary building is adjacent to the City of Woodburn property, where the Lifewise building is under construction. The plans indicate that changes to the parking lot will provide handicapped spaces for the Lifewise building. The plans also indicate that no water or sewer will be provided in the new building, and it can be assumed that Lifewise staff will use the school’s facilities for these purposes.

An after-school program called GLOW is managed and operated by Woodburn Missionary Church. Cherie Schlatter is the director of this program. She is also the Lifewise contact for the building permit. Attempts were made to ask Cherie how the school facilities were used by a religious organization, but no response was given.

A list of questions was sent to the school district, but as of this article's publication, no response has been received.

Building permit Lifewise Academy Woodburn

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Application And Submittal Documents

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Lifewise Academy Woodburn building project, plans, and site information.

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The City and School District have coordinated with Lifewise for two years to advance this project to its current stage. This story is probably far from over. I do not know how long the record requests will take, and I can only assume it will be completed as slowly as possible. If a local resident would like to submit their own request, the information I requested is below.

1. All emails in possession of the City of Woodburn with the domain lifewise.org between the dates of May 1, 2023, and July 6, 2026.

2. All communications in possession of the City of Woodburn discussing the placement of a structure at the address 4420 N Webster Rd, Woodburn, IN, between the dates May 1, 2023, and July 6, 2026

3. All building permits for 4420 N Webster Rd, Woodburn, IN, from May 1, 2023, to July 6, 2026.

4. All contracts, leases, memoranda of understanding, or memoranda of agreement with Lifewise Academy between the dates May 1, 2023, and July 6, 2026.

5. All communications from or to jakegentz@frontier.com between the dates of May 1, 2023 and July 6, 2026.

6. All emails in possession of the City of Woodburn that contain the word “Lifewise” (case-insensitive) in the subject or body of the email between the dates of May 1, 2023, and July 6, 2026.

I located the building permits to allow the request to be removed. The City of Woodburn and the local school district are clearly using public resources, time, and money to support a religious organization. Going silent will not correct this issue. Public schools are not mission fields. Government entities are not permitted to provide financial support to religious entities. This is another example, in a long list, of Lifewise Academy ignoring the law.

The Law

Pennsylvania state law and the local board of education policies require parents to send statements to the district after every child’s absence.

“and that the parent or person in loco parentis shall, following each such absence, furnish in writing to the superintendent of the school district a statement attesting that the child did in fact attend the instruction and the dates and hours upon which such attendance took place.”

Section 1546 of the Pennsylvania School Code

”c. Following each absence, the person in parental relation shall submit a statement attesting that the student attended the instruction, and the dates and hours of attendance.”

Pine-Richland Board of Education Policy 204 - Attendance

The original records request was very clear that no personal information should be visible in the records.

“Please redact all personally identifiable information. Although not required under the Right to Know laws, the purpose of this request is to confirm compliance with the school board policy.”

Respect Public Schools (RPS) filed an appeal with the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records. The district issued a statement asserting that the records do not exist.

Pine Richland Attestation

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Full statement attesting to the lack of public records and explaining the district's interpretation of the law.

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The school district explained the lack of records. Because Lifewise Academy checks the child in and out, the district knows when the child attended, and the legal requirements are satisfied. The district interprets the law to mean that if it knows when the child left and returned to school, the law is satisfied. RPS believes this is an excuse to cover up noncompliance with state law.

The Pine-Richland district initially stated that the records could not be released. After an appeal was filed, the district provided a signed statement asserting that the records could not be provided because they do not exist. The district's handling of this request suggests an intent to conceal that the law was not being followed. If the district believed the law was being followed and that the records did not exist, it would have been easy to state this from the outset.

Parents’ Rights, Without Parent Involvement?

The concept of released time religious instruction has been described as a parents’ rights issue. The district will excuse a student “upon the written request of a parent or other person in loco parentis.” Parents are required to authorize enrollment, and the same language indicates that they must send a statement after each class. The state has put the parents in charge of validating the students’ attendance. Not the religious program.

The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference (12982) indicated that requiring parents to submit their own statements to the school “may prove less than satisfactory in that some parents may fail to provide the necessary assurance of attendance.” (page 8) School districts are clearly supporting a religious entity in its violation of state law. Lifewise Academy has repeatedly shown that it does not understand or follow all laws and school policies. School districts follow hundreds of policies and thousands of laws. Lifewise has a few paragraphs of state law and school policy to comply with, yet it routinely fails to comply with them correctly.

School districts are allowing laws to be ignored. Lifewise is operating a program that is not in compliance with state law. A school district stating that records can’t be released, but then claiming the records never existed. Released-time religious instruction consistently attracts the worst decisions from those who support it.

In 1952, the Supreme Court ruled that RTRI is legal if the school and staff are neutral towards the religious program, it’s off school property, no public funds are used, and attendance is approved by the parents. Zorach v. Clauson held that RTRI is legal if the program models the one at issue in the case. After RTRI was officially declared legal, utilization began to decline to its current lowest level.

Many of the RTRI programs, by the 1940s, operated by releasing students during the last period of the school day. This model caused the least change to class schedules, limited the disruptions from students returning, and created a standard schedule for all students.

https://www.nytimes.com/1920/11/23/archives/hearing-is-closed-on-religious-hour-school-committee-will-consider.html?searchResultPosition=1
https://nyti.ms/4oyiWpq
https://www.nytimes.com/1941/09/25/archives/religious-study-days-changed.html?smid=url-share

Zorach stated that the religious classes occur at the end of class sessions.

Weekly reports of their attendance at such religious schools must be filed with their principal or teacher [par. 4]. Only one hour a week is to be allowed for such training, at the end of a class session [par. 5], and where more than one religious school is conducted, the hour of release shall be the same for all religious schools [par. 6].
Zorach v. Clauson (1952)

Students were released from the school and did not return. This is the reason for state laws and school board policies that require programs to track attendance and make that data available to the school. Lifewise Academy has created the image that, for decades, schools have operated by releasing students from classes. Lifewise says its “favorite” way to implement the program is to integrate it into the “specials” rotation.

Link to full presentation by Ben Ruprecht.

Gym, art, music, technology, library, and Lifewise. In an interview, Adam King, Director of Statewide Initiatives for Lifewise, said the Supreme Court ruled that RTRI can be included in the school’s “master schedule.” This is a made-up ruling he invented to convince the public that Lifewise can operate in its “favorite” way.

Lifewise’s desire to disrupt the school day while being integrated into the daily schedule was put on full display in Oldham County, Kentucky. Lifewise approached the district for approval and to coordinate a time for students to be released to Lifewise. Oldham County schools chose to release students during the last session of the day and allow the students to be sent home from Lifewise without returning to school. Lifewise refused this process and pushed back on the district. Even though the Supreme Court ruled that this was the legal and acceptable process for RTRI in schools.

These events lay bare the real intent of Lifewise Academy, to convert and coerce all students in the school to attend. Using ice cream parties, golden tickets, and any other incentives to boost enrollment. Lifewise Academy’s own employees state that the students are the best tool for increasing participation. Lifewise needs to disrupt the school day, so ALL students will notice.

The Secular Education Association has posted a video from the 2023 Lifewise National Summit, in which Lifewise also discusses using students to return to schools and recruit their classmates.

What Can Districts Do Wth This Information?

Depending on your state’s law, school districts may be required to coordinate a time that students can attend RTRI classes. In states that mandate RTRI, the end of the day, with the students being released home from the RTRI class, is the best option. If the state has no law mandating schools coordinate with RTRI programs, no policy is the best option. This allows for the parents and the RTRI program to coordinate a time if they wish. The parents sign the child out and facilitate the child’s attendance at the religious class.

First Liberty Institute attorney Matt Krause stated when testifying for Lifewise at the Ohio State House, “RTRI is not a right.” Regardless of state law and school board policy, there is no constitutional right to RTRI. School districts can provide a method, and Lifewise can choose to follow it or operate outside of school hours.

Lifewise Academy has attempted to coerce school districts, parents, and churches into believing that Lifewise programs are acting fully within the law by integrating into school schedules, using district buses, using school district property, and proselytizing to the student body. Lifewise does not care about parental rights, they are focused on recruiting as many students as possible.

The Alliance for Defending Freedom (ADF) says removing students from public schools is the best way for them to learn about religion. Someone should tell them about churches. I heard a rumor that many Christian churches hold services in the evenings or on weekends. Dedicating time to religious services, rather than squeezing a class into an elementary school period that requires moving students down the road and back in 45 minutes, is a better approach. Anyone who thinks disrupting the school day is a better way to learn about religion is not focused on teaching about religion; they are focused on disrupting the school day.

The ADF message also announced the recently passed Louisiana legislation (SB 112) requiring school districts to work with Lifewise Academy. The language of the bill opens the door for religious classes in school buildings during the school day.

This aligns with the ADF’s push to convince schools that released time can be conducted on school property, despite Supreme Court rulings and every state law mandating that released time be off school property. Read emails to two school districts indicating that the ADF says released time laws can be superseded by Equal Access Laws. This goes against every legal opinion on released time.

The portion of the letter discussing released time is below, along with a link to the full letter as a PDF.

ADF Equal Access RTRI Letter

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Lifewise called their movie “Off School Property,” but lobbies to put their programs into schools.

The ADF and Lifewise are bringing Bible classes into public schools, using public school resources. It’s coming. The signs are clear. The coordination is in plain sight. Speak to your school board members and representatives. Make sure they understand that laws allowing released time on school property are a legal liability and create an environment that permits the proselytization of students in public schools during the school day.

WyandotCARES is a released-time religious instruction (RTRI) program that operates in all public schools in Wyandot County, Ohio. RTRI is the legal framework established by a federal Supreme Court ruling that allows students to be released from school if the following stipulations are met.

• Must be off school district property.

• Privately funded, no public funds used.

• Parent permitted, students must opt in.

• The school district is neutral and neither coerces nor supports the program in any way.

Riverdale Local Schools coordinated with a religious organization to allow a Christian ministry to use school property during the regular school day. They have charged WyandotCARES less than the board-approved fees and have allowed district employees to participate in the program. All of these actions violate school board policy.

Board of Education Policies

Riverdale Local Schools Board Policy 5223 states that RTRI must be off district property and that no school personnel may promote attendance in the program. Board Policy 7510 states that the Superintendent must create a fee schedule and that the board must approve it. Board Policy 8800 states

“No matter how well intended, either official or unofficial sponsorship of religiously-oriented activities by the school are offensive to some and tend to supplant activities which should be the exclusive province of individual religious groups, churches, private organizations, or the family.”

Riverdale is sponsoring and supporting a religious program by ignoring board policies, granting preferential treatment to a religious organization, and permitting paid district employees to participate in the program.

District Advisor NEOLA Warns Against Bible Classes on School Property

WyandotCARES provided Riverdale with documentation to persuade the district that Bible classes on school property are legally permitted under equal access laws. The superintendent asked NEOLA, the district’s policy provider, whether this was correct. NEOLA stated that WyandotCARES is “confused with the law granting release time.” 

The letter from the Alliance for Defending Freedom is available below. It incorrectly cites the Federal Equal Access Act, which permitted student-led activities in school buildings for Junior High and High School students during non-instructional hours. WyandotCARES is not student-led, operates during the school day, and receives special treatment, including the ability to rent district property during the school day.

Alliance for Defending Freedom Equal Access Opinion

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Released-Time Programs and Equal Access to Government Facilities Opened for Public Use

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School districts pay NEOLA to draft policies for the district. Those policies are vetted by two independent law firms and come with a warranty from NEOLA. NEOLA will provide legal support to the district if it is challenged in court. If a school district chooses to ignore its own policies, NEOLA will not support the district. A district that ignores the advice of its own providers is misusing public funds. Opening itself to legal issues and potential lawsuits is a gross misuse of tax dollars.

Not Approved by The District Policy

Riverdale allows WyandotCARES to lease school property for $100 per year. The fee schedule for use of the district facilities is $10 per hour for school-related groups or $15 per hour for general non-profit groups. I do not know which category Riverdale Administration is placing WyandotCARES in. The school secretary told WyandotCARES that it was already approved minutes after their form was submitted.

Riverdale confirmed that WyandotCARES uses the building for more than five hours each week. At $15 per hour, that would amount to about $2,000 per year in rental fees. Charging the correct rent would end the special treatment the religious group receives, but it would not resolve the situation. Riverdale still allows WyandotCARES to operate on school district property, which is illegal under federal and state law.

Riverdale Staff Promote Religious Programs

An email from the district to WyandotCARES was addressed to Lydia Miller, WyandotCARES’ director, and to Ken Gray, the district’s Student and Parent Liaison.

Ken is also the pastor at Heritage Christian Union Church. Heritage Church has hosted training events for WyandotCARES, and Ken Gray routinely advertises the religious program. Ken has coordinated local churches to support WyandotCARES. Ken has worked to position WyandotCARES in the Riverdale district and to prevent Lifewise Academy from operating. Ken wrote a letter advising the community to trust him to make the right decisions about the religious classes offered in Riverdale schools. The district is placing a pastor on the payroll while actively violating federal and state law and the district's policies to support the pastor's goals.

Ken Gray Letter

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Letter from Ken Gray to Riverdale Community.

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Ken Gray is a district employee. District employees cannot promote released-time programs. Ken’s church supported released-time programs financially and through volunteers, training, and advertising. When Respect Public Schools reached out to Ken, he refused to answer any questions and directed them to School Ministries Ohio. School Ministries Ohio states that each program is independently run. Parents should expect this kind of runaround when asking questions unless they are already enrolled in the program.

Ken Gray’s personal goal of proselytizing to students is made possible by his paid position as Student and Parent Liaison with the school district. This is why the Federal Supreme Court case made it clear that school staff must remain neutral toward the religious program. Ohio law states, “No school personnel is involved with the program.” Riverdale policy states, “No District personnel shall be involved in the provision of religious instruction.”

Ken Gray was included in communications involving teachers, administration, and WyandotCARES. Riverdale teachers requested that WyandotCARES change its schedule and limit the removal of students from instructional time; Gray was included in this request. WyandotCARES suggested that Riverdale remove students “first thing in the morning,” when students are most attentive; Gray was included in this suggestion. Gray forwarded the district’s request for forms to be completed to WyandotCARES. Gray was included in discussions about adding WyandotCARES as a for-credit class in the high school.

For Credit Religious Classes

Riverdale has permitted WyandotCARES to offer a for-credit class to high school students for the 2026-2027 school year. Ohio statute allows districts to approve up to two credit hours for an RTRI class. WyandotCARES requested that Riverdale add the “Route 66” class to the school’s course catalog.

The course was approved and appears in the 2026-2027 catalog.

Riverdale Course Catalog 2026-2027

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Respect Public Schools inquired with Riverdale about the curriculum used for the “Christian Studies” class. No clear answer was provided. WyandotCARES is mentioned in the public records as using “Route 66.” There is a Bible study program called Route 66: Travel Through the Bible, and I assume this is the one being used. High School Principal Scott Maag stated that the district has no say in the curriculum and that the school is merely following the law and allowing WyandotCARES to operate. Maag is 100% incorrect. The district is required by state law to review the curriculum and approve the course of study based on its “secular criteria.”

Ohio law requires districts to review the curriculum, the instructor, and the course's number of hours. This requirement is set forth in Ohio Revised Code 3313.6022.

WyandotCARES indicates that students can earn 2 credits toward graduation by taking the same course for 4 consecutive years. WyandotCARES and the school’s course catalog also indicate that the class will meet 2-3 days each week. That is a 50% difference in class time. A class cannot be approved for credit if the school does not even know how often students will attend.

You cannot take the same class for credit more than once. Fine arts are the exception. Social studies classes are not fine arts. The curriculum used by Wyandot Cares appears to be recommended for grades 6-8.

The district did not review the curriculum as required by law. The number of days students will attend is unknown. The curriculum is intended for grades different from those for which the school is granting credit. The district did not follow the law or common sense by giving special treatment to a religious organization and to students who follow a specific religion.

Riverdale is a model for what can happen when a religious ministry is given open access to the public schools. Laws are broken. The school is exposed to legal issues. Teachers are forced to ask a church for access to the students. Local pastors are hired and become involved in the district's decisions. Public school buildings are not mission fields. Public schools are places where people of all faiths, or no faith, send their children to learn. Riverdale would do well to read and follow its own policies:

The latest document the school district provided, which they received from Lifewise, shows staff and volunteers with background checks from October 2023 to October 2024. The record request was sent on March 20, 2026. For 18 months, Lifewise and the school district failed to verify that Lifewise staff had BCI/FBI background checks. Another issue with the records Lifewise sent is that the completed criminal background checks were not BCI/FBI checks. They were completed using ProScreening, a third-party background check provider Lifewise uses.

The document Lifewise provided the school also indicates there have been no new staff or volunteers for almost two years. Lifewise is constantly recruiting new volunteers. The absence of new background checks can only be explained by Lifewise not providing the names to the school for the 2025-2026 school year, or by their no longer conducting the required background checks. Both scenarios indicate a lack of oversight and care for child safety.

Lifewise Academy does not comply with the law, and school districts do not hold Lifewise accountable. Lifewise is using the public school system as a mission field, using elementary school students as pawns to recruit their friends to attend Lifewise. Lifewise guarantees enrollment. Lifewise boasts large enrollment percentages. Parents would assume the laws and policies put in place would be followed, but they are not. Lifewise is an opening for anyone who wants access to children without the same level of oversight as public schools.

The Hillsdale Local Schools replied to the public records request that only one email communication existed between Lifewise. The school indicated that all communication was done in person and verbally. Let that sink in. The school is insisting that it was getting verbal confirmation that all Lifewise employees meet the school district's policy on criminal background checks. No validation, no verification, just a Lifewise person walking into the office and saying, “It’s done.”

Public records requests for Lifewise generally return anywhere from several hundred to thousands of emails. In my opinion, a school district indicating that a single email exists for a school year from Lifewise is a lie. Lifewise and the school's email about weather delays, schedule changes for state testing, students not attending due to illness or medical appointments, changes to weekly enrollment, students adding or dropping Lifewise, etc. Hillsdale Local Schools is covering up information in public records requests.

With the recent arrests and convictions of three personnel who were involved with Lifewise programs, it is unacceptable that school districts are choosing to ignore the child safety portions of the school’s policies that allow Lifewise Academy to operate.

Sto Rox Lifewise Academy MOU 25-26

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Memorandum of Agreement between Sto-Rox and Lifewise Academy (PDF)

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Lifewise Academy is a released time religious instruction (RTRI) company that removes students from public schools for Bible study. Lifewise operates differently based on state law and local school board policy. Lifewise consistently attempts to remove students from instructional periods for as many hours as the law allows.

“The present record indeed tells us that the school authorities are neutral in this regard, and do no more than release students whose parents so request.”

Zorach v. Clauson (1952)

The Supreme Court ruled that school districts must be neutral towards RTRI programs, and signing agreements to expand the program is not neutral. A public school system using its compulsory attendance of students to also specifically support a single religious viewpoint is unconstitutional.

Parental Requirements Ignored by District

The Sto-Rox School District board policy for RTRI says students can participate in the RTRI program if, “Following each absence, the person in parental relation shall submit a statement attesting that the student attended the instruction, and the dates and hours of attendance.”

A public records request to Sto-Rox revealed that no parent has submitted the required documentation. Allowing organizations to operate outside the requirements of the board of education is not a new scenario for Lifewise. I asked the superintendent whether the board of education had waived this requirement for Lifewise or if there was another reason it was not being followed. They did not provide any feedback.

It is essential that public schools be environments that are supportive of all religious viewpoints. The Sto-Rox district, with the support of Lifewise, has broken down that barrier while ignoring the policies they claim to fully support to keep Lifewise legal.

The school district is unofficially sponsoring Lifewise Academy. The district’s buses and drivers are transporting the students. This gives the appearance that the school is supporting the religious program. Because they are supporting the religious program.

Brad Case is a bus driver for South Knox. According to the district’s website, he drives bus number 16. Photos posted on the South Knox Lifewise Facebook page show bus 16 in use. The bus has the driver’s name on the side. This is without a doubt the school district’s bus.

A public school district providing buses to a religious program that removes students from school during the school day is a ridiculous scenario. The Supreme Court in Zorach v. Clauson ruled that released time Bible classes were legal, but that school districts had to remain neutral.

“The present record indeed tells us that the school authorities are neutral in this regard, and do no more than release students whose parents so request.”

Zorach v. Clauson (1952)

A school district that allows a religious group to use its school buses during school hours violates Zorach. Many groups argue that equal access laws permit access to school buildings or buses. These arguments are flawed given the Equal Access Act's basic facts. Equal access is granted to student-led groups outside regular school hours. Lifewise Academy is not student-led, and the use occurs during school hours.

If a religious program cannot function without the public school system’s coordination, logistics, and resources, it’s not neutral and is using the public school system as a crutch.

This is a developing story, and a public records request has been sent to the South Knox School Corporation.

Wyandot Cares has been operating in the Carey Schools since 2006. Originally, students walked to a church close to the school. At some point, a vehicle was required for transportation. Social media posts from Wyandot Cares show Carey school buses being used in 2018.

Emails from Wyandot Cares to the school indicate that the school administration knew the school’s buses were being used. Lydia Miller, Director of Wyandot Cares, provided the school with its own policy in an email and then explained how she thought she could work around it to keep it legal. Whoever suggested this would be legal needs to be fired.

The school’s RTRI policy states: (policy 5223)

“Transportation of students to and from released time instruction is the complete responsibility of the sponsoring entity, the parent, guardian, and/or student. The Board, its members, and employees are immune from liability for any injuries arising from transportation to and from released time instruction. Further, no Board funds will be expended for, and no District personnel shall be involved in, the provision of religious instruction.”

Wyandot Cares’ interpretation of the policy is that as long as the school doesn’t offer the bus, it’s legal. The school administration agreed and told Wyandot Cares to contact the transportation coordinator directly. District staff were aware of the relationship between Wyandot Cares. For at least 5 years, the district has allowed a third party to use its buses for free, which is so insane I can’t even fathom how no one noticed.

If you run an organization that needs a bus during the day, call Carey Schools; they will hook you up. All joking aside. Who insured the buses during this time? Who verified the drivers’ credentials? Did they always use the school’s drivers, their own, or a mix? A district operating in direct violation of its own policies. If something were to happen to a student or a bus, it’s not clear who would be held liable, and that is a huge problem.

Schedules Support Religious Students

In addition to the misuse of school property, the district allowed Wyandot Cares to set the schedule on days with a 2-hour delay. Again. A religious organization is setting the policies for how a school runs its schedules. When Wyandot Cares first began offering its class in the Carey schools, the district said that students not participating in the religious program would not have their education affected.

The practice of stopping instructional time for students not attending the religious instruction is why RTRI has become a growing issue in schools. 19 years later, the same process is happening in the Carey schools. During the 2-hour delays, the schools were not going to send students out for religious instruction, but Wyandot Cares asked whether they could still do so, and the schools changed their plans. At the request of a religious organization, the schedules of all students were impacted.

Parents who choose to have their child miss class for religious instruction have now affected the instruction of those who do attend. The Carey schools have chosen to base when students receive instruction on the family’s religious choice. Ohio law and the Carey school policies for RTRI state, “The student assumes responsibility for any missed schoolwork.” The workaround the schools have implemented, to the benefit of families who have chosen religious instruction, is to stop instruction and forgo lessons students would miss.

Wyandot Cares was contacted for a comment about the article. No response was received.

A public records request to Mohawk Local Schools (Sycamore, OH) revealed that Wyandot Cares, a local RTRI program, and School Ministries, the national organization that assists Wyandot Cares, are distributing a paper from ADF in hopes of establishing Bible classes in the schools and/or using the school buses for transportation. The legal opinion aligns with the Equal Access Act rulings, which granted religious and non-religious student-led clubs equal access to secondary schools during non-instructional time.

The email from Wyandot Cares says Equal Access laws supersede released time laws. There is no mention of McCollum v. Board of Education (1948) or Zorach v. Clauson (1952), the two Supreme Court cases that specifically address released time programs. Zorach is quoted by every single released time program in the country. The goal of RTRI programs is to force public schools to offer Bible classes IN the schools.

In the public records, School Ministries identified two school districts that allowed a religious program to operate during the school day. Riverdale Local Schools and Conotton Valley Union Local Schools. Both districts allow a third-party organization to enter the school and teach Bible classes to students during the school day. The program is not student-led. This violates the Equal Access laws and also the school’s own policy for building access.

Legal Decisions

The ADF letter claims equal access laws allow released time during the school day. But the rulings they cite and the associated opinions all refer to after-school programs, not during the school day.

The following information is from LifeWise Exposed.

The Supreme Court rulings of Lamb’s Chapel v. Center Moriches (1993) and Good News Club v. Milford Central School (2001) both held that religious groups cannot be excluded from public school facilities when other community groups are allowed equal access. But those rulings share an important limitation — they explicitly apply to equal access to school facilities after school hours.

“The showing of this film series would not have been during school hours, would not have been sponsored by the school, and would have been open to the public, not just to church members. The District property had repeatedly been used by a wide variety of private organizations. Under these circumstances, as in Widmar, there would have been no realistic danger that the community would think that the District was endorsing religion or any particular creed, and any benefit to religion or to the Church would have been no more than incidental.”

Good News Club directly references Lamb’s Chapel in its majority opinion:

“As in Lamb’s Chapel, the Club’s meetings were to be held after school hours, not sponsored by the school, and open to any student who obtained parental consent, not just to Club members.”

Riverdale Local Schools

Riverdale Policy 5840 - Student Groups
“It is the policy of the Board of Education that student groups be recognized as authorized school organizations only if they are approved by the school administration, sponsored by school-approved personnel, composed of members of the current student body, hold the majority of their meetings at school, and have established aims which are educational in nature.”

Wyandot Cares is a registered non-profit that operates RTRI classes with the help of School Ministries. Wyandot Cares is not a student-led program. They hire teachers, volunteers, and other staff to support the organization. Students do not lead the classes or facilitate the program in any way. Wyndot Care’s website indicates they operate “off campus DURING the school day.” This is clearly for marketing purposes only and does not reflect the organization’s true intentions.

Riverdale Schools received $100 a year from Wyandot Cares to rent a room from the school. No contract was found by the school between 2021 and 2026. Only payments for the last three years could be located. School board policy requires that a schedule of fees be maintained by the superintendent, but none was provided. Board policy also states that use of the premises is allowed only outside regular school hours. It is not clear what the district charges other groups to rent space at the school, either during the school day or after hours.

Riverdale Policy 7510 - USE OF DISTRICT PREMISES
“For purposes of this policy, the terms “school premises” or “premises” refers to all indoor and outdoor structures, facilities, and land owned, rented, or leased by the Board. The term “non-school hours” refers to times prior to and after regular classroom instruction on a day that school is in session, and any day that school is not in session, including weekends, holidays, and vacation breaks.”

The district and Wyandot Cares both violated the law and school policy for years, creating a school-sponsored, taxpayer-funded religious program. Add to this that the district allowed staff and volunteers from the religious program onto school property during the school day, without conducting any background checks or vetting, or having any say in the hiring process. There was no contract with the outside organization, and the district’s insurance policy would not cover any liability. And the district did not validate the third-party organization’s insurance.

Conotton Valley Union Local Schools

The situation at Conotton Valley Union Local Schools was similar to that at Riverdale. Classes operated in the library during lunchtime. Students could attend the religious program run by a non-profit called Imagine School Ministries, which is also associated with the national School Ministries organization.

Administration confirmed that Conotton Valley does, in fact, allow the program to operate in the Library. The board of education approved rent of $50 each day the room is used. The school has staff who will monitor the class so they are aware of what is being taught. The school does not want it to be indoctrination, and they feel it’s not being done that way. The program was compared to Lifewise Academy, and it was made clear that it differs significantly from Lifewise because Imagine School Ministries does not indoctrinate students. This was part of the administration’s reasoning for allowing the program on school property. The school claimed to monitor the religious classes by having administrative staff sit in on them. This also suggests that the school administration sat in on Lifewise Academy classes and is now specifically choosing which religious programs are allowed in the school building based on the content of those classes.

The school district should never decide what a religious group can or cannot say to those gathered to worship. A government entity should not be checking into religious groups and deciding which ones can operate in the school. The administration allowed the school building to become a place where the school sponsored religion, and not an environment where religion is neutral. The school is placing a single religious viewpoint into the school.

School districts cannot allow an outside organization to rent a room and hold a religious class on the school property during school hours. School board policy for Conotton Valley states:

7510 - USE OF DISTRICT PREMISES
… H. Community organizations or groups of individuals primarily comprised of District residents/members of the community, including students (during non-school hours) and employees (when not working in the scope of their employment) formed or gathered for
1. charitable,
2. civic,
3. social,
4. religious, …

The phrase “during non-school hours” is the key to this policy and the religious classes. The school and the ministry are violating the policy by allowing a religious group to use the district premises during school hours.

It is clear that School Ministries has an agenda of reaching as many students as possible, even if it requires them to violate the law. School Ministries is not alone in this endeavor. Lifewise Academy also operates programs on school property and has used the same “Equal Access” laws as School Ministries. In emails between Lifewise CEO Joel Penton and his staff, he instructs them to work with School Ministries and another released time program, Bible2School.

Other School Districts

We have previously reported on Elmwood Local Schools and Newton Local Schools, which allowed Bible classes to be held on school district property. Other districts that also allow released time programs on the school property are Buckeye Valley Local School District (Delaware, OH), Benjamin Logan Local Schools (Bellefontaine, OH), Culver Community Schools Corporation (Culver, Indiana), Delphi Community Elementary School (Delphi, Indiana), and Waynedale Local School District (Apple Creek, Ohio).

The coordinated effort and similar legal opinions, when questioned about operating illegally on school property, show that these programs are not operating in a bubble. When Lifewise Academy began facing pushback from school districts and boards of education, it reached out to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who sent a letter to 600 school districts urging them to cooperate with released time programs. Dave Yost is stepping down from the Ohio AG position and will be working for Alliance Defending Freedom, the organization that has been assisting released time programs in breaking the law and operating on school grounds.

Ohio has been the epicenter for released time programs for fundamentalist Christian churches, and with the help of Dave Yost, it appears the situation for public schools will look even worse. Christian nationalism will be coming even faster IN a school near you.

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Lifewise Academy in Port Huron, MI, will remove students from school for 2 hours per week. Michigan law allows students to be excused for up to 2 hours per week, and Lifewise will use the full amount allowed. This is the first instance Respect Public Schools has seen of a released time program publicly advocating for more than one period per week in elementary school.

Lifewise Academy Port Huron director Jayvon Moncrief says local school districts view Lifewise Academy as an “unnecessary distraction.” He adds that the schools have no choice but to allow the program. That is not true. Michigan law does not require schools to coordinate with released time programs or Lifewise. Parents can sign their children out, but Michigan schools are not required by law to coordinate with Lifewise, unlike schools in Ohio, Indiana, Texas, Oklahoma, and other states.

Removing 2 hours per week will automatically put every student who attends Lifewise at a minimum attendance of 94%. Under Michigan’s definition of chronic absenteeism, both excused and unexcused absences remove students from time with teachers. A student who misses 10% of school hours is chronically absent. If a student attends Lifewise and then misses just 5 days of school for any other reason, they are now chronically absent. Port Huron Area School District has an average attendance rate of 95% for students who are not chronically absent. Drop this by 6%, and the average for the entire school is now chronically absent.

A Christian ministry whose vision is to “come alongside administrators and teachers” who want to remove students for the maximum number of hours legally allowed sounds counterproductive to supporting schools.

Lifewise Academy in Georgia and Louisiana is working with organizers who have admitted that Lifewise currently operates programs on school property. Scott Hymel met with Lifewise CEO Joel Penton and was told that Lifewise can operate in the school if the school allows it. They said this can save Lifewise money. It was repeated several times that Lifewise can operate IN THE SCHOOL if the school allows it. Released time religious instruction cannot be conducted on school property. It is illegal.

Hymel also said that it was surprising how many churches would not work with Lifewise.

Original video

Download a PDF of The Model Policy

This policy is built on a foundation and framework of the Secular Education Association’s model policy, different states’ legislation, as well as the US Supreme Court Case Zorach vs. Clauson and Washington Supreme Court Case Perry vs. District 81. (This model policy does not, however, purport to be legal advice).

Some important highlights:

• Limited to students above the age of discernment. (Follows Idaho legislation.) Guardians and educators alike agree that participation in activities which impact their education should be empowered decisions made by students themselves.

• Limited to just a few times during the school year. (Inspired by California legislation.) Public education remains the highest priority.

• Limited to the last class period of the day. (Follows New York City district policy.) This limits the amount of tracking and time required by staff, and severely cuts down on class disruption.

• School schedules will not be altered to accommodate RTRI Programs, and instruction must still take place for all students who do not leave to attend an RTRI Program. (Follows Perry vs. District 81 and Zorach vs. Clauson.)

• No spending of taxpayer dollars to promote RTRI Programs in public schools. (Follows Perry vs. District 81.) School districts remain neutral.

• RTRI classes take place off-campus, and do not require taxpayer-funded transportation. (Follows Perry vs. District 81 and Zorach vs. Clauson.)

• RTRI Programs must follow district child safety protocols without exception. (This is especially important since the documented discovery of one RTRI Program - LifeWise Academy - losing two children in two different states, including Washington.)

• School Districts may not release medical information, or other sensitive and highly confidential information, about students to a third party. (HIPAA and FERPA prohibit such disclosure, whether or not parents sign a “release form” as part of enrollment in an RTRI Program.)

Our model RTRI policy places student safety and well-being as the highest priority, as well as supporting public education. We do not support targeting young children or placing them in vulnerable situations. We do not waver on issues that threaten the neutral separation of church and state.

We support parents and students exercising their lawful right to a religious education outside of public school hours, devoid of taxpayer funds, and without disruption to the administration and endeavor of public education. We encourage parents to exercise their lawful rights; we are firmly against organizations demanding taxpayer-funded facilitation of parent choice.

Talk to your local school board, submit the policy to them, the superintendent, and to your district’s policy review committee. Speak up to your state representatives. Urge them to seriously consider the threat of dismantling public schools by the orchestrated disruption of RTRI Programs; especially those designed to cause dissension among student peers, families, and our communities.

Download a PDF of The Model Policy

The flagship Lifewise Academy program in Van Wert, OH, and the two programs launched in 2019 all followed the same model of removing students from school during the “specials” class rotations. Schools generally offer phys ed, music, art, library, and technology on a rotating basis for students. These class times are also used by primary classroom teachers for planning. This time is normally mandated by state law or teacher contracts on a per-district basis.

Lifewise Academy coordinated with School Ministries when launching its early programs. School Ministries is a national RTRI organization that has operated since 1991.

School Ministries CEO Ken Breivik has repeated the model of integrating religious classes into the “specials” periods and “draining” all of the students from the school. Breivik said they often target low-income school districts and offer a way to save money and give schools time for teacher planning periods while the students leave the school. This scheduling method will normally guarantee that almost all students attend the religious class, as it makes the alternative a quiet or self-study period for those students who do not leave school.

This method sounds great to parents if their religious beliefs align with Lifewise Academy’s theology and statement of faith. If they don’t, their children’s education in the public school is now affected solely because of their choice of religious freedom. This goes against everything the First Amendment stands for.

Side note: The school district featured in the video is the Clarendon County School District in SC. The district advertises the RTRI program on the school’s website. This also violates the Supreme Court ruling on RTRI.

This can be seen in the real world through public record requests from several school districts. Riverview Schools (Warsaw, OH) moved multiple classrooms of students who didn’t attend Lifewise into an “extra” tech program where they worked on laptops. This allowed the district to maximize teacher planning time without hiring additional staff.

The superintendent of Riverview schools said in a chat that the school benefited more from Lifewise than Lifewise did from the school. This is an odd statement, given Lifewise’s goal of removing every student from the public school system for Bible study, whereas public schools’ goal is to educate students. I would say this partnership benefited Lifewise more than the school. Read the principal’s take on why they allowed Lifewise to integrate into the schedule below. Hearing School Ministries speak about districts with

This same process of using a religious ministry to prop up a school’s schedule and allow for teacher planning time was also implemented in Defiance City Schools (Ohio). Lifewise boasts that nearly all students attend the religious program, rather than being shuffled between classes and rooms and treated as “leftovers.” This is exactly what Lifewise Academy and School Ministries want. Students feel they have no choice but to attend a religious service.

It is no coincidence that schools operate in the exact manner described by the released-time organizations. Public schools are the mission field for Lifewise and similar organizations, and these schools have been assisting them at the expense of taxpayers and students who don’t attend the religious classes.

Lifewise Academy and School Ministries have both taken the initiative to integrate Bible education into the school day schedule. They have focused on underfunded and lower-income school districts. They brag about the high percentage of students who attend the religious program that has become a regular part of the school day. RTRI programs are not just a choice for parents and their children. They are a tool of churches whose goal is to convert every child to their religion. They will use any method they are allowed and will push every legal guardrail.

Speak to your local board of education and school administration and inform them of these groups and their business model.

Find your school at https://respectpublicschools.com/

Sources:
Full Video School Ministries - YouTube
Full Video School Ministries - School Ministries Trumbull County, Ohio

On April 15, 2026, Governor Mike DeWine announced a new attendance dashboard to allow the public to watch the state’s dismantling of the public schools in real time. The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) defines 72 hours of unexcused absences per year as habitual absence. But the law allows 2 hours a week for 36 weeks to be missed for religious classes. That’s 72 hours. ODEW says that missing 72 hours makes a student habitually absent, but the legislature also requires schools to adopt policies to allow this. I can’t even find the words to explain how idiotic this is.

Released time religious instruction programs like Lifewise Academy have removed students from an estimated 1 million classroom hours of instruction over the last school year alone. There are an estimated 40,000 students in Lifewise in Ohio. Enrollment doubles during instructional time compared with lunch and recess, and 45% of Lifewise programs remove students from instructional periods. That’s 27,000 students missing an hour a week for a minimum of 36 weeks a year.

The actual number of students affected cannot be determined. Schools often place students who do not attend the religious class in a study hall or non-instructional classes. When many students leave during this time, instruction cannot proceed uniformly because they are dispersed across various parts of the curriculum. Although this precise instructional impact is difficult to quantify, it still exists. This is not a problem schools should be forced to handle.

If you think this sounds crazy, read the real-world program examples Lifewise Academy provides to schools in their “Superintendent Packet.” Van Wert Elementary School (Ohio) states, “At Van Wert Elementary, LifeWise is part of the weekly specials rotation. Students who don’t attend engage in independent study (e.g., book reading, computer work, etc.).” Children in 1st grade are being left to independent study. Again, instruction has to be put on hold in the classroom so students are not in different parts of the curriculum.

Over the last two years, Ohio shifted from requiring parental involvement in religious education to mandating that schools collaborate with churches, and ultimately to permitting students to miss unlimited time for religious classes. During this period, the state also funded private schools at unprecedented levels, claiming to provide better options for students. An administration that acts as if attendance is important while creating a blueprint to reduce it should be questioned.

Riverview schools were featured in a promotional video by Lifewise and set the stage for all future programs. Releasing students during class time, making students who don’t attend feel left out, and having no structured educational time for them. Students in grades kindergarten through 3rd would normally not be given completely unstructured screen time.

Riverview school staff stated that students who stayed in school and did not attend the Lifewise program had no structured period and no assignments. The school stated they would “play” on computers. The school stopped instruction for students not enrolled in Lifewise. In addition, the school decided who could attend a religious class based on its own criteria.

All of this is important because the laws regulating RTRI programs require schools to “do no more than release students whose parents so request.” “There shall be no comment by any principal or teacher on attendance or nonattendance of any pupil upon religious instruction,” is also a rule in the Court’s decision. The principal of the school advised staff to “suspend” a student from a religious class their parent had signed them up for.

The school district has created an environment in which students who don’t attend a religious class receive no instructional time. Parents who choose not to enroll their child in Lifewise are still impacted by the program. And parents who sign their children up for a religious class will have the school impose its own requirements for the child to attend. School administration uses a family’s choice to have their child attend a religious program as an incentive for good behavior. All of these are violations of an individual’s freedom of religion.

The more intertwined public schools are with religious programs like Lifewise Academy, the more they impact all students and parents, even those who did not choose to participate in religious education. If Lifewise Academy is operating in or approaching your district, contact your Board of Education and Administration and ensure they understand that it must be neutral and not negatively impact the school day for students who do not participate.

View the RTRI Map and learn more about Lifewise at https://respectpublicschools.com

Southwest Licking Board of Education Meeting Transcript December 19, 2024

Debra Moore:
Did we get copies of the background checks.

Unknown:
I did not get copies of background checks.

Debra Moore:
Can we get those copies?

Unknown:
I’m absolutely sure we could, yes.

Debra Moore:
And the MOU? Do we have a copy of that?

Unknown:
Mm-hmm.

Debra Moore:
I think maybe in May when we do have this talk, I think I’d like to add on top of the background checks, maybe rap-back. Is it in the MOU that if they do have new volunteers, those volunteers are background checked?

Unknown:
I believe so, but I need to double check. I don’t want to misspeak. I believe so, yes.

Full video on YouTube - timestamps for clips are 11:00 and 13:15

The district stated there was an MOU at a board meeting, but it has not been able to provide it. When asked, the treasurer indicated that Lifewise never signed an MOU.

The school district policy requires a signed MOU with Lifewise. The board meeting on December 19, 2024, indicates that an MOU is in place. The local Lifewise Director, Sonya Dulaney, was present at the meeting. Lifewise Academy was aware of these requirements. During the Lifewise discussion, the board asked Sonya a question. The blatant disregard for the school district’s policies is clear.

Lifewise Academy has a single set of laws, regulations, and policies to follow. They claim to be “keenly aware” of the law. They are not. They do not train their thousands of staff and volunteers on the legal parameters they must follow, just to increase enrollment and funding.