This story was updated on Sept. 30, 2024 at 1:35 p.m.
The Westerville City School Board will meet Tuesday night to vote on whether to remove its religious release time policy.
That would mean the end of the school district’s LifeWise Program.
The popular LifeWise Academy is in hundreds of schools in more than 20 U.S. states. It buses students off-campus during the school day to learn about the Bible. Kids can’t miss core classes like math or reading, but can leave during lunch or recess, or sometimes during classes like art or gym.
Westerville has had a LifeWise program since Sept. 2022.
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At its Sept. 23 meeting, the Westerville Board of Education had a reading to rescind its policy titled “absences for religious instruction.” The policy, introduced in 2009 and last revisited in 2016, said students could be provided “released time” to attend a course in religious instruction conducted by a private entity located off district property.
Board President Kristina Meyer said reviewing the policy started as a "compliance issue" but lead to broader concerns about.
"My concern on this policy has nothing to do with any specific religion or religious programs in general. It's about utilizing the time we have with students in schools to focus on educating them and minimizing disruptions to the school day for students, teachers and staff," Meyer said during the meeting.
She added that she "remained puzzled" by the "strong push" to run programs like LifeWise during the school day when they could take place before or after school — something she said could help alleviate childcare problems for working parents.
At the same meeting around two dozen parents, community members, and LifeWise staff gave public comment. Just over half spoke in support of the board rescinding the religious release policy, while the others praised LifeWise for building students' character and providing Christian instruction.
Jaclyn Fraley, speaking for the group Westerville Parents United Against Release Time Religious Instruction, said the group has concerns about liability and "distractions" caused by the LifeWise program.
"A disruption that has been evident in the last few very long board meetings and the potential lack of students having a true feeling of inclusion and an increased risk of bullying culture," Fraley said.
Jason Winks, a member of the LGBTQ+ community who grew up in Westerville, raised concerns about what he alleged was "hateful" rhetoric about the LGBTQ+ community spread by LifeWise.
"They do not have to do this during the school day," Winks added. "They have no right to interfere and interrupt actual educational opportunities to do their indoctrination."
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But other parents spoke about the impact LifeWise had on their children and called it a "valuable program."
One woman said her son is in second grade and attends the program. She likes it because it teaches him to be a good person, she said.
"They teach me about (character), how to be friendly, kind, lovely. So there's stuff for my kids to grow up in confidence and to be more friendly in this community," she said.
LifeWise CEO Joel Penton, a former Ohio State defensive lineman and Hilliard resident, said in a statement that he was “disappointed” that the board was “considering denying students access to Bible-based character lessons during the school day.”
“We have worked expediently to address their concerns. We eliminated our liability waiver, offered to pay for lunches, and signed an MOU (memorandum of understanding),” Penton wrote.
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He said that hundreds of students are in the "growing" Westerville program, which also has 18 paid staff members, more than 30 volunteers and runs three buses.
The Westerville Board of Education will have to vote a second time to officially rescind the policy. Its next regular meeting is set for 6 p.m. on Oct. 14 at the district’s early learning center.
