By TIM BARTO
In this age of public school wokeism, with all its pronoun preferences, revisionist history, and gender bending promotions, the last thing one might expect is Bible study during school hours. But that is exactly what LifeWise Academy is doing. In fact, they’re doing it successfully, and if all goes well, they might be doing it right here in Alaska.
How could such a program possibly exist? That is reasonable and expected question.
The short answer is because a 1952 Supreme Court decision found it perfectly legal and not in violation of the First Amendment. In Zorach v. Clauson, the court ruled that a school district is allowed to let public school students leave their school ground for part of the day to receive off-site religious instruction.
This type of program is known as “release time religious instruction.”
It was something of a “sleeper” ruling, but in 2018, Joel Penton launched LifeWise Academy in Ohio, with the express purpose of providing Biblical instruction to public school students during school hours. In Van Wert, Ohio, the participation rate of public school students in release time religious instruction is 95 percent.
Currently, there are such programs in 300 schools across 11 states, providing 30,000 public school children with access to Biblical teachings. Churches and individual donors fund the programs. No public funds are used for LifeWise Academy. Penton, who was a guest in May on Jim Minnery’s podcast, “I’m Glad You Said That”, is adamant that LifeWise programs follow three important criteria:
1) The instruction takes place off public school property,
2) The program is privately funded,
3) Participation is only done with parental permission.
Here’s how it works: Students are allowed one class period, typically one per week, when they are excused from school. School administrators work with LifeWise to choose periods that do not interfere with mandatory classes or other extracurricular activities.
Chaperones either walk the students to the offsite location, or a bus arrives to take students and chaperones to the location, which is usually a church or other private business. LifeWise helps choose locations that are close to the public schools, so a minimal amount of time is spent on transportation. If needed, LifeWise will work with local volunteers to remodel or even build meeting spaces. LifeWise instructors – NOT public school teachers – provide a Bible passage and related character trait lesson. At the end of the instruction, the bus picks up the students and takes them back to school to resume their day.
The curriculum takes students through the whole Bible in five years, but the instructors have flexibility to adjust it as needed, and students may join the program at any time.
So, how’s it going with teachers and parents? According to their website, LifeWise surveyed educators and 90% of them answered that the program benefited their students and school. When asked about the program’s impact on behavior, decisions and relationships, school schedules, student excitement, and positive attitudes, responses to all the areas scored 82 to 87 percent positive. As for the parents’ reactions, 99 percent of them responded that LifeWise helped their children make better decisions, engage in faith-based conversations, and grow in their understanding of the Bible. Less than one percent of the parents surveyed did not recommend the program to other parents.
Those numbers signify success, and in today’s academic environment, positive student outcomes should be welcomed with open arms. And that leads us to backlash. It’s fair to suspect that Bible-based curriculum resulting in positive character outcomes would surely garner the ire of the leftist forces that dominate public education and bow to teachers’ unions, but that has not really been the case.
This can be implemented in Alaska. It will meet with some opposition, as it has in the Lower 48, but the fight will be worth it. As public schools push against parental rights and proselytize their theologies of climate change and social justice, it will provide some relief to allow students to take time – off campus and without using public funds – to learn the values of the Bible.
Tim Barto is vice president at Alaska Family Council.
