Lifewise Academy Silent When Asked About Child Safety
On December 10, 2025, Lifewise Academy in Decatur, IN, lost a child while transporting a class from the church where Lifewise is hosted back to the local elementary school. Details about this event are lacking because it involves a 7-year-old child, and because Lifewise has stated they will not provide details and do not see any reason to assist the family in understanding what happened. Full details of this event can be read here (Secular Education Association).
It is completely mind-boggling that a public school, Lifewise, and local law enforcement have been unwilling and choose to be silent on the issue.
It’s a terrifying idea that an organization focused on children in kindergarten through 5th grade would not be honest and forthcoming about its policies and procedures regarding child safety, but this is not an isolated incident. Lifewise has been less than forthcoming or silent when questioned about their polices, procedures, and incidents.
Laws in Ohio and other states have been changing rapidly over the last couple of years, mainly at the hands of Lifewise. One area of focus is children’s safety. Public school district boards of education have begun requiring released-time religious instruction (RTRI) staff to undergo background checks at the same level as the school’s employees. When asked about the details of the background check process, Lifewise has always remained quiet. After being publicly criticised for using companies without background check procedures on par with BCI/FBI and other state agencies, Lifewise changed its provider. The new provider is still not on par with what school districts perform, but this showed Lifewie was probably aware of the problem.
I inquired about two Lifewise programs in Ohio. These districts require background checks for RTRI programs at the same level as the school district’s employees. Lifewise, in both cases, never responded to questions. The Tiffin Lifewise programs responded to a social media comment, and the results were alarming. When asked whether Lifewise would comply with the school board’s policy governing RTRI, they responded “no,” stating they would not require background checks at the same level as the school.
This is alarming for several reasons. First, because they are clearly not concerned about legally operating programs. Second, because it makes it clear that the training offered by the corporate-level Lifewise is not preparing the local directors to understand what school board policies are, how to understand and follow the policies, and how those policies interact with the state laws that Lifewise is also required to follow.
The local Lifewise program, which indicated they would not be following the school board’s policies, also took steps to silence me when trying to get answers to these questions. I sent an email asking five questions on May 22, 2025, and left a voicemail over 3 months later asking to talk.
Knowing the local program was scheduled to begin in the fall of 2025, I attended a church service hoping to speak to the director afterwards.
The director was not attending the service that day but was actually at a different church promoting Lifewise, less than 1,000 feet from my home. The service was good, everyone was friendly, and the director’s partner was more than willing to discuss things. But details like background checks, school policy, and scheduling were out of their knowledge. The conversation was great, and it’s really what this is about. Being able to discuss these things, still be neighbors, support each other, and make a stronger community.
Lifewise's response was to file an electronic harassment charge. For one email and one voicemail over a 90-day period to the business e-mail and phone of a non-profit organization. The body cam footage from the complaint tells a different story. The police officer who took the report commented that I wouldn’t be “happy until everyone was miserable”, I don’t want to believe facts, and that similar groups operate in the schools. The individual filing the complaint also told the officer that I had been to locations I had never been to, that the Lifewise legal team had tried to silence me previously but had not succeeded, and that they had heard I was unemployed and had nothing better to do.
The video below clearly shows that Lifewise Tiffin's director believes they are not removing students from classes. When they 100% are removing students from teachers. Using air quotes to describe taking students from classes as fake is insane behavior. If Lifewise Academy truly had the interest of the district in its heart, it would do this after school. The craziest part is that the director states that an after-school program already exists, and has for decades, actually.
The principal in Tiffin offered Lifewise class time, as they also did at their previous employer, Kenton City Schools, where they were also principal. Lifewise usually finds a friendly partner and uses that relationship to acquire class time from teachers. Based on public records requests in Ohio, Lifewise sees an average 120% increase in enrollment when class time is offered compared to lunch and recess. Turns out, kids like missing class and don’t like missing recess. Wonder how long it took them to crack that code.
The Lifewise Tiffin director and the officer discussed how religious groups “are asking for a seat at the table” when all other “causes” have one. No other group, cause, or non-profit is requesting to remove students from the school day to teach religion. Not a single one. The director and officer spoke about using facts and speaking truth, and it appears that neither is knowledgeable on the subject.
The police officer and the Lifewise Tiffin director never mentioned the First Amendment. When Lifewise feels school districts are not being open enough, they will use the First Amendment as their argument, but when someone speaks out against them and specifically points out the safety, logistics, and school engagement issues, the First Amendment argument is nowhere to be found.
In April of 2024, Lifewise Academy’s legal team sent me a cease-and-desist letter demanding that I remove my website. They claimed copyright infringement and threatened me with fifth-degree felony charges for causing harm to their organization. This letter was not based on any legal facts, and the police report Steve Clifton, the COO and CFO, filed charges against me, but the Hilliard police department said that no crime appears to have been committed
The cease-and-desist letter threatened me with a frivolous legal threat unless I took the website down. This violates the Ohio Supreme Court Code of Professional Responsibility. The Lifewise legal team probably knows that the punishment for such action is also frivolous, and if it would get a result in their favor, it’s worth the risk.
Listening to a police officer pile on with someone as they tell lies, secondhand information, and opinions is unsettling. Describing me as lazy, jobless, untruthful, etc, I understand the officer is there to take a report. The color commentary seemed a bit much.
Two weeks later, the Tiffin Police Department and Chief Dave Pauly would team up with Lifewise for a Bible-based book event at the Tiffin-Seneca Public Library sponsored by Lifewise. This event was branded by Lifewise; they had a table with information, everyone working the event wore Lifewise shirts, and the guest readers, except Chief Pauly, all wore Lifewise-branded shirts. Chief Pauly wore his uniform as this was an official outreach event.
The local county chamber of commerce spotlighted Lifewise on its website and social media, the police department participated in a Lifewise-sponsored event, and the Tiffin City Schools administration allocated a teacher’s time to a religious organization. And all of this happened with the use of public funds. When RTRI programs were ruled legal, one of the guidelines was that no public funds could be used.
The parent whose child was lost by Lifewise Academy in Decatur, IN, tried to file a report with the sheriff’s department. She was told the sheriff’s department wouldn’t investigate the event and that they couldn’t file a report. This same sheriff department sponsored fundraisers for Lifewise Academy. So, asking questions and making sure laws and school policies are being followed gets a harassment report filed against you, while losing a child is not an event that law enforcement is interested in.
Please understand that Lifewise Academy only has one goal. To convince churches, businesses, and volunteers to donate money to support their program. They will say whatever convinces people, but when the real issue of child safety is raised, they will not answer questions or engage. It’s disgusting behavior, and we need to make it known that it won’t be supported.
Learn more about RTRI and view a map of school districts and their status with Lifewise at https://respectpublicschools.com