INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Ohio nonprofit that provides after-school Bible classes to public school students during class hours plans to triple its programs in Indiana this fall after novel legislation forced school districts to comply.
For participating families, LifeWise Academy’s non-denominational programs supplement religious education. But critics in Indiana worry that the programs waste public school resources on religion, proselytize students of other faiths and take children out of class – all in a state that already has problems with literacy.
Joel Penton, founder and CEO of LifeWise, told the Associated Press that many parents want religious education to be part of their children’s education.
“For many families, the values of faith and the Bible are central to their lives,” Penton said. “And so they want to show their children that this is central to their lives as well.”
Public schools are prohibited from promoting religion under the First Amendment, but a 1952 Supreme Court ruling involving New York City schools paved the way for programs like LifeWise. Individual houses of worship often partner with schools to offer off-campus programs, and in some states they are unregulated.
LifeWise representatives approached the Oklahoma and Ohio legislatures to show their support for legislation that would require schools to partner with outside religious programs, Penton said, and Oklahoma’s Republican governor signed such a bill into law on Wednesday.
Similar bills have been introduced this year in Ohio, Nebraska, Georgia and Mississippi, according to an AP analysis of Plural, a legislative tracking database.
Next school year, LifeWise programs will be offered at more than 520 locations in 23 states, up from 331 locations in 13 states this year. About 31,000 students participate in LifeWise programs across the U.S., Penton said.
Penton wants LifeWise to be available to “50 million public school students across the country,” he said.
In Indiana, Republican Rep. Kendell Culp introduced a bill requiring school principals to provide religious education to students during their free time after a rural school stopped working with LifeWise. The bill was signed in March, and as a result, 45 Indiana schools will be working with the company this fall, three times as many as last year.
LifeWise Academy, based in Hilliard, Ohio, is funded by donors, including more than $13 million in grants between July 2022 and June 2023, according to the latest federal report.
The curriculum was developed in partnership with the Gospel Project, a Bible study curriculum created by an organization within the Southern Baptist Convention, Penton said. Instructors are given guidance on how to respond to hard questions, including those about the afterlife and sex. LifeWise opposes same-sex marriage and transgender and gender-neutral identities.
“Our guide helps teachers approach these issues with compassion, humility and respect,” Penton said in a statement.
Chris Paulsen, CEO of LGBTQ+ rights group Indiana Youth Group, expressed concern that children can receive Christian religious education during the school day, “but no one can talk about queer families.” Indiana bans teaching about “human sexuality” in schools through third grade.
LifeWise staff and volunteers transport students from school to program sites by bus or car, or utilize parking lots near schools and supervise children along the way.
Indiana state law and a 1952 Supreme Court ruling prohibit public funds from being spent on additional religious instruction, but critics worry that schools are using public funds to plan and transport children to and from these programs.
“It just puts an additional burden on teachers,” says Michelle Carrera, an English teacher at a high school in Culp’s district.
Democratic lawmakers derided the novel law in delicate of impoverished literacy and school attendance rates and said it violated the separation of church and state guaranteed by the First Amendment.
“To say that a religious organization can dictate a school’s schedule seems to me to be a fundamental violation of this important American principle,” said Democratic Rep. Ed DeLaney, a member of the Indiana House Education Committee.
Jennifer Matthias of the Fort Wayne Community Schools Board of Trustees opposes a novel program in her district, particularly because a recent Republican bill would impose stricter literacy requirements on elementary school students.
“What benefit can students get from being freed from the daily routine of school?” she asked.
Supporters argue that the LifeWise model allows low-income students who cannot afford after-school programs to receive additional religious instruction. Culp said the Indiana law gives parents more say in their children’s education.
“This is actually more about parental rights,” he said.
Christa Sullinger, 46, has been sending her 10-year-old son to LifeWise in Garrett, Indiana, since last year. Because of baseball activities on Sundays, the family sometimes misses church services and LifeWise fills in the gaps.
“What a great opportunity to strengthen our faith,” Sullinger said.
LifeWise says it doesn’t teach programs during class, such as math or reading, but rather during lunch or in electives, such as library, art or physical education. Under Indiana law, children can attend classes for up to two hours per week.
The West Central School Corporation in rural Pulaski County, about 100 miles north of Indianapolis, said that last school year, 64 percent of its 345 elementary school students visited LifeWise while at the library.
Cathy Rowe, superintendent of the West Central School Corporation, said there may be students who feel left out if they don’t attend LifeWise, but that is the parents’ decision.
“It was very well supported in our community,” she said.
The district was often at the center of discussions during the passage of the bill in Indiana. Opponents said that if only a handful of children remain in the school, they could feel pressured to attend or feel alienated if they are not religious or practice another faith.
Some children take the initiative to promote the program to their classmates, Penton said.
“We are grateful when students enjoy our program and talk about it,” he said.
Demrie Alonzo, an English as a Second Language tutor in Fredericktown, Ohio, said she witnessed a LifeWise representative tell one of her third-graders, a Hindu, that they could teach her about Jesus. An investigation ensued, leading to Superintendent Gary Chapman reminding the Fredericktown Local School District and LifeWise officials not to ask students to participate during school hours.
Children “from a wide variety of backgrounds” take part, Penton said.
“I found it extremely inappropriate,” Alonzo said.
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Associated Press researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed from New York.
