Lifewise Academy has decided to use its legal team to silence voices that speak the truth and inform the public about Lifewise Academy and its operations. First Liberty Institute has sent a letter to NEOLA (Northeast Ohio Learning Associates). This organization assists school districts with creating school policies. Lifewise has taken issue with how schools have implemented the policies mandated by the state of Ohio. Lifewise does not want to sue local schools because they do not want to appear as the bad guys. So they have gone after the next closest group.
Their two complaints are that the schools limit the handouts and free items distributed to students who do not attend Lifewise and that they require thorough background checks of Lifewise employees and volunteers.
The Supreme Court case Zorach v Clauson (1952) states the rules and guidelines that make released time legal. The court’s opinion had this to say about the program that was considered legal: “With the following significant amplifications: no announcement of any kind will be made in the public schools relative to the program [rule 1]." This means no announcements of any kind in the school. No flyers, pamphlets, handouts, business cards, etc. Lifewise Academy is not a student-led program; it does not fall under the same laws as other open-access programs. If the released time program is handing out advertisements to be distributed back at the school, this is clearly a violation. Students can hand it out if they create or bring their own religious material. The difference is clear.
The other issue Lifewise has is with the background checks. They think it is an administrative burden on the school and Lifewise. However, schools have often already implemented these same practices for all employees and volunteers. It is not a burden to keep the students safe. Lifeweise has repeatedly changed background check providers, stated that people with items that would disqualify them are "clear" once their court case is done, and that corporate has no oversight of the background check process; it is left up to the local programs.
A very important fact to remember when understanding that school districts in Ohio are now required to create a time to release students for religious study during the day is that Lifewise is showing up to remove the students, not the parents. When students are released for doctor appointments, counseling, or any other requirement a parent sees fit, the parent shows up, not a third-party organization. Having that third-party and any random volunteer fully background checked does not sound like a problem or a burden.
Lifewise is a fundamentalist Christian Nationalist organization. They are forcing their brand of Christian Nationalism into public schools. They are doing this by influencing legislation across the country. They are using legal threats to silence speech. They are paying for this with the money from these local programs. Parents, volunteers, churches, and local businesses fund this process. There are alternatives, and Lifewise does not have to be the way to teach young people about Jesus. An organization that can’t even carry itself in a manner that respects others shouldn’t try to teach those same concepts to anyone.
Helpful documents:
First Liberty Letter to NEOLA
https://firstliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/FLI-Neola-Policy-Letter-4.16.25.FNL_Redacted.pdf
How Lifewise tells programs to "Boost Enrollment"
https://lifewisedocs.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/editor_files/8bb660b7-1bd3-11f0-95cd-0659a15fbc66.pdf
NEOLA Released Time Updated Policy Options:
https://lifewisedocs.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/editor_files/f1fbff18-1bd3-11f0-95cd-0659a15fbc66.pdf |
