Pennsylvania School District Goes Into Formal Agreement with Lifewise Academy
The Sto-Rox School District (McKees Rocks, PA) signed a formal agreement with Lifewise Academy to provide and expand religious instruction in the school system.
On October 23, 2025, Sto-Rox School District and Lifewise Academy signed an agreement that renews annually to formally provide Bible instruction to the district and to support the expansion of the Bible program within the district.
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.