A Hilliard-based program offering Bible study during school time is expanding.
The increasingly popular LifeWise Academy will be in 525 schools in 23 U.S. states next school year. Its slogan is “during school hours.”
The program buses 1st- through 5th-grade students to churches or other off-campus locations to learn about the Bible.
Kids can’t miss classes like math or reading, but in some cases can choose LifeWise over art, music or gym.
“We know that there are many, many parents that want Bible education incorporated into their children's school day,” said LifeWise founder and CEO Joel Penton.
Penton, a Hilliard resident, and former Ohio State defensive lineman said he started the program because he has personally been impacted by the Bible and he wanted to share that with others. He said not everyone can afford a private, Christian school.
Penton said religious instruction has a positive effect on children’s behavior. He said schools with LifeWise programs have seen better attendance and fewer disciplinary problems.
“Of course, there's a whole spiritual side, as well as a Christian,” Penton said.
LifeWise is donor-funded and free for participants. It’s grown rapidly since its launch in 2019 in two rural Ohio schools, but not every parent is a fan.
“And the next thing I knew, my 9-year-old son had told me about one of his friends who was in the LifeWise program, told him that he was going to hell because he didn't believe in Jesus."- Erin Sogal, Worthington parent
Difficult conversations
Erin Sogal’s son attends Worthington Hills Elementary, which has a LifeWise program. She is Methodist and her husband is Hindu. Sogal said they work hard to make sure their three children are exposed to all religions.
Sogal first heard about LifeWise during a fundraising effort to bring the program to the school, but she wasn’t interested in enrolling her kids.
“And the next thing I knew, my 9-year-old son had told me about one of his friends who was in the LifeWise program, told him that he was going to hell because he didn't believe in Jesus,” Sogal said. “He said, 'mom, I thought all religions were good and why would I go to hell? I don't understand.'”
Sogal said it happened a second time with the same friend.
“I worry because, you know, if this is what kids are saying to him, they're being taught this somewhere, right,” Sogal said. She added, “This is not a Christian nation. It's a nation where you can be free to be Christian or Hindu or any type of religion or no religion.”
Religious release time
LifeWise is possible because of a 1952 Supreme Court ruling that allowed students to attend religious events during school time. Those activities can’t happen on school property and have to be privately funded.
But Sogal feels LifeWise manipulates the law, which seems to be designed to protect students who might miss religious holidays because of school.
“That's not what is happening here,” Sogal said.
Parents Against LifeWise co-founder Molly Gaines of New Lebanon, near Dayton, dislikes the organized effort to bring LifeWise into schools. She said it includes form letters and large fundraising efforts.
“There are nine different email templates that they have to just bombard these schools with pressure. They will not take no for an answer,” Gaines said.
And Gaines believes students try to recruit their friends.
“Those kids are coming back to school with treats and invitations and stories of parties, and the kids who are left behind are like, 'why can't we go',” Gaines said. “And (parents are) having to explain stuff that they shouldn't have to explain to an elementary school child.”
Penton says everyone is welcome to attend LifeWise, even student from different religious backgrounds.
“We don't seek to create division. We don't want to leave anybody out,” Penton said. He added that he’s talked to religious leaders from other faiths about starting similar programs.
"The only complaint I got was from my daughter who came home from the first day and said, that was a lot of fun, but it was too short."- Zack Vorst, Hilliard school board member and parent
Growing in popularity
LifeWise’s popularity has continued to grow. It’s in plenty of central Ohio schools, including Columbus City, Upper Arlington, Whitehall, New Albany, Worthington, Westerville, Olentangy, Dublin and Penton’s hometown of Hilliard, he said.
Hilliard school board member Zack Vorst supported establishing a religious release policy in the district in 2022. It passed in a split 3-to-2 vote and LifeWise started in the district in September 2023.
Speaking for himself and not the board, Vorst said he wanted to provide the opportunity for faith-based education. So far, he’s seen positive results.
His kids go to LifeWise.
“And the only complaint I got was from my daughter who came home from the first day and said, 'that was a lot of fun, but it was too short,'” Vorst said.
Vorst said the curriculum doesn’t seem to go too deep into scripture. His daughter told him about a game where the kids played David and shot slingshots at a Goliath.
“I’ve seen some of the materials that they brought home when they talk about, the Lamb of God, and they’ll draw a little picture with a Bible verse or something next to it,” Vorst said.
Penton said the lessons come from The Gospel Project and cover the Bible from Genesis to Revelations in five years. He said they focus on “head, heart, and hands,” – what does the story say, how does it connect to the larger Gospel message and how can it transform someone’s character?
But Parents Against LifeWise said the lessons are very conservative, though LifeWise says its non-denominational. Gaines and others have raised concerns about teachings regarding sin and the LGBTQ+ community.
Sogal said some parents she knows have withdrawn their children from the program, because the messages didn’t align with their own beliefs, despite being Christian.
One district’s concerns
You won’t find LifeWise in Gahanna-Jefferson schools. The board there unanimously rescinded its release time policy in 2022.
Democratic State Representative Beryl Brown Piccolantonio was board president at the time. She said the board was doing a broad review of policies, which included religious release time.
“LifeWise, I guess, illustrated how the policy would play out, if there were other organizations that were using it like that,” Piccolantonio said.
Piccolantonio said the board’s decision was ultimately mostly about student instructional time.
"So, they would be missing out on some things during the school day,” Piccolantonio said. “Our lunch and recess would not provide for the amount of time that the program requires.”
She said the board also worried about liability, a burden on office staff checking students in and out, and the financial problem of paying for teachers who might be instructing half-empty classrooms.
“We would love to see lifelines available for every single one of the 13,000 school districts, 90,000 school buildings, 50 million students nationwide."- LifeWise CEO Joel Penton
Possible changes to the law
Now, Piccolantonio is on a committee for a state bill that would require schools to allow religious release time. It was introduced by Republicans Al Cutrona and Gary Click and seeks to change just one word, “may” to “shall.”
“Those words mean very different things,” Piccolantonio said.
She said her concern with the bill is that it would take away local school boards’ ability to decide what’s best for their own communities.
The bill has a long way to go before it has the chance to become law. In the meantime, LifeWise’s Penton said he hopes the program continues to expand.
“We would love to see LifeWise available for every single one of the 13,000 school districts, 90,000 school buildings, 50 million students nationwide,” Penton said.
In December, LifeWise bought the former Aquatic Adventures building near the Interstate 270-Cemetery Road interchange in Hilliard for $2.8 million. The 23,000-square-foot facility is slated to become LifeWise’s training and conference center.
