Bill to exempt religious instruction from public schools wins support and opposition in Ohio Senate committee • Ohio Capital Journal

He said religious education such as LifeWise improves students’ mental health, character and grades.

State Sen. Andrew Brenner, R-Delaware, asked why LifeWise was now being rejected after five years in business.

“I think it’s just because it’s more popular.” – said Penton. “The bigger something gets, the more purpose it becomes. And for some reason, those who oppose such efforts of students studying the Bible during school hours, at this point, I think, have come into the spotlight as something that they want to attack.”

The Westerville City Schools Board of Education recently voted to end the religious release timing policy this allowed LifeWise Academy to take public school students off campus for Bible classes during school hours.

Hilliard City Schools Board of Education member Zach Worst was on the board when the district made the decision The deadline for publication of the religious instruction policy is September 2022. He said that during the implementation of the policy there were concerns about fair access, logistics, safety and absenteeism.

“Under the law, the cost to the county is zero,” he said. “The policy is working well and none of these concerns have come to fruition.”

Two of his children were present timing of religious education programs.

“I value the opportunity to choose for our children to grow in our faith while participating in educational opportunities.” – said Worst. “My daughters had a wonderful experience learning and growing in their faith while attending the classes.”

Westerville parent Kelly Walk wants to give parents choice back.

“As parents, we no longer have the right or choice to take our children out of school to participate in the program,” Walk said. “LifeWise is simply Bible stories.”

Christian Virtue Policy Center Director David Mahan shared survey results that found that 99% of the 2,646 parents surveyed believed that “LifeWise helps their children make better decisions and that they would recommend the program to other parents. The survey also included responses from 769 educators, and 90% stated that “their school and students benefit from the LifeWise program.”

Opponent’s testimony

Morgan Zickes, public policy manager for Equality Ohio, spoke about how The timing of religious education programs negatively impacts LGBTQ+ students and families.

“Senate Bill 293 would require public schools to allow religious instruction for students, further marginalizing groups like LGBT+ students and their families,” Zickes said. “The LifeWise curriculum is clearly anti-LGBTQ+, and we have seen this set the stage for bullying and harassment of students who are already at higher risk in districts that have adopted similar RTRI policies.”

Gary Daniels, chief lobbyist for the ACLU of Ohio, listed possible concerns that a mandatory religious education program policy might raise, such as dealing with divorced parents.

“You have one custodial parent who says, ‘I don’t mind my child going to school,’ and the other parent doesn’t,” he said. “How exactly is this resolved? Are these programs equipped to handle students with learning disabilities, IEPs, physical and behavioral health issues, etc.?”

Defiance Schools parent Zachary Parrish spoke about how his daughter was bullied for not attending LifeWise. She goes to a walk-in class in the school gym while her classmates attend LifeWise.

“Internal school emails included a school administrator saying the student ‘needs Jesus in his life’ when he was corresponding with a LifeWise employee,” Parrish said. “They also show teachers directly calling my daughter and others ‘LifeWise leftovers’ and admitting that there are no guidelines or educational plan for children sent to study hall.”

Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools Board of Education President Kara Coates said she opposes SB 293 for three reasons: eliminating local control, time and disruption to the school day, and safety risks. LifeWise had previously reached out to Gahanna-Jefferson about the timing of the release, but they did not accept the policy.

“Some may say it’s better to use the lunch period, but this is when students develop relationships with all of their peers, which is also critical to a child’s well-rounded learning,” she said. “It will also cause significant disruption to the school day, which will impact the learning environment for all students. It is not only the departure and arrival of students that is a violation, but also the return of students with candy, recruitment invitations and reports of bullying.”

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