Lifewise and School Ministries Force Students Out of Classes
Lifewise Academy was formed with the goal of integrating into public school class schedules to increase the number of students who would attend the ministry.
Lifewise Academy is a released time religious instruction (RTRI) program that removes students from school during the school day for Bible study. Lifewise states this is legal if the Bible study is off school property, approved by the parent, and privately funded. Lifewise cites the Supreme Court case Zorach v. Clauson (1952) and draws these bullet points from it. Lifewise omits the court case’s neutrality requirements. Schools must remain neutral, classes must continue as normal, and schools must not coerce students into attending the religious class.
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