What people are saying:

• Facebook User: There is no need for release time for religious indoctrination. All faith groups are free to offer religious activities outside of school hours and away from school property, before school, after school, evenings, all weekend and throughout school breaks. So, why demand RTRI during school hours? It’s because it gives the religious group access to a whole new crop of kids, en masse, as opposed to having to get them one by one.
• Facebook User: I think LIFEWISE is a missionary program using public schools as a goldmine for recruiting and converting kids whose families then might become believers of what LIFEWISE preaches. This might mean more public schools lose more students & money to a Christian school endorsed by LIFEWISE..
• Facebook User: It is, and it’s laid out in project 2025.
• Facebook User: I’m convinced that the ulterior motive is to eliminate public schools and reach them with this right wing groups. Parents need to take their children to the church of their choice and not burden the school with endorsing one particular religion.
• Facebook User: Perhaps maybe parents just want to have their children experience more time learning about Jesus with no other ulterior motives?
  • Facebook User: Sommer Middleton Here’s the thing. The school day is filled to the max with curriculum and activities that they need to accomplish. Taking groups out of class to then bus them offsite not only still uses school resources it has proven to disrupt and cut into learning time. The staff being hired through lifewise are not qualified or vetted at the standard school staff are. Liability wise, it’s also my understanding there is still not a clear definition of who takes liability for students or staff despite parents signing waivers……should a staff be member of Lifewise perpetrate or whatever the scenario is (injury, illness, choking ect. etc) there is potential for it to create legal complications the districts do not have funds or resources to deal/cover. It’s my understanding there needs to be clearer insurance and liability terms met.

    Even as a Christian, I don’t feel they are a fair and representative force for a nondenominational religious instructional group like other churches sometimes become affiliated on a broad range…I’ve not felt a very neutral stance while talking to them…..and being that other Christian organizations that don’t have the resources to be in schools I think it monopolizes one view of a faith and makes things too complicated. My spouse attended seminary school and we know other Catholic families who see nothing wrong with just creating space for something like that after school hours like chess club so it does not overstep even with good intentions. It might even give latchkey kids a break.

    if they truely intended to do as they say….kids would just leave and come back, but ive seen implementation concerns with how it breaks down into the actual school day…

    There is also a component of either what they are being taught or how they are influenced to treat others that displays actions of hate or exclusion toward other students if not everyone can attend meetings. My daughter came home in tears because a clique of lifewise girls refused to talk to her once they started attending, were bragging they were Superior because they got to leave to get pizza or do something “special” and one even tried to gaslight her by saying something along the lines of making sure to have a real connection with God….which sounds fine sort of unless your child sees that as a motive to question her own walk in faith with her family. Trying to process that while in school is disruptive….we care about everyone and want to focus on the educational goals they have as a team for the school…thatKs their patriotic goal as a school team….i feel its more productive anyway if those programs are done after hours…..

    Lastly. For other students who pray…..i don’t care about a child who has permission to do a self-guided form of prayer where they quietly step out and can integrate back in without leaving or running back into class like a Koolaid man…..My daughter has a 504 and has it in writing to step out for a 5 min break if she is feeling sensory overload….she is able to do so in a frame that is conducive to her learning and minimally disruptive.

    if i was doing it as an after school program i would want it to be an optimal learning space….so having enough time to fully congregate and have that little extra question or fellowship time….i met with my own groups and did prayers at the flag pole….we were able to be kind to our peers and respect the time we needed to focus on school activities, library, reading time etc. Casual reading time is sooo important too…they need every minute in class they can get. It was actually more beneficial to bringing more friends after for us.

  • Facebook User: Rori Carissa Weil Howell this was very informative thank you for sharing your experience.

    I feel awful this happened to your daughter and I would imagine if the Lifewise teachers knew they would address this problem. Unfortunately this happens in schools for all kinds of reasons, kids who get student of the month, kids who are in different clubs/sports teams. My son comes home often where children are mean to him or he feels excluded from x,y,z. Where a few kids join together and say he can’t play with them.

    As for being disruptive I do not understand that because some children walk across the street during lunch and recess and is not disruptive in anyway. Or in other cases are bused by Lifewise so no use of school resources.

    I was under the impression Lifewise has their own liability policy apart from the school as well as background checks all volunteers and teachers?

    Have you looked at the curriculum? I am genuinely honestly curious how it favors any one denomination? I read through it and it was just Bible lessons without any modifications and the character traits didn’t seem to me to be anything other than just learning about Jesus?

    I think most parents like this option because more and more as kids get older other things/activities compete for the same slot of after school time. To have time to learn this once a week during lunch and recess seems very reasonable to me.

    I understand how some families would not want to opt in, but why ruin it for others who do? I see it as band or choir. Students choose that elective instead of resource or whatever it is the other children do during those times. I see it as an elective I suppose.

    I’m trying to understand both viewpoints, but I just dont see how it is so bad?

  • Facebook User: Facebook User I realize it happens for other reasons but it’s not fair to the teachers to have to mediate these students on the behalf of Life-wise during class time. They already often have to pass along other disputes to families. Just like we keep birthday invite drama out if the classroom I think it helps to prevent any unneeded drama as well. I have nothing wrong with creating space for this after hours! What happens out of the “work” day
    is A. probably more encouraging for promoting actual attendence. B. does not run any risk of coordinating time out of a day or causing a disruption.

    The daytime is really busy…plus I value even play time during the day or brain breaks….the kids or teachers don’t need to pack anything more into a school day….seriously…i’ve volunteered…..it’s a lot. Teachers also need to use their time in the day to be flexible wherever its needed…:outside programming is one more thing in that mix…just keep the extracurricular or supplemental instruction at the end. Band or Choir for me was part of the actual integrative curriculum or collective part of learning as a whole. For us that instruction and relationship building does carry over to the other aspects of school but in positive ways. Those arts programs are designed to unite students in a greater unified and patriotic ways for the School. We see this on Friday Night Football Nights where schools can get together under the flag of their nation and work together in cheer, football/sports, band to have a collective spirit in that educational institution. Those school activities celebrate unifying instead of being a tiny separate block or group actually. I was Drum Major in our marching band. All different kinds of kids uniting for one cause was spectacular!!. I Love my band and and fellow school spirit friends.

    I cannot stress how much after school support is needed though….this would be such a huge win for many families who work….im sure a huge win for families wishing to have that specific type if religious instruction.

    the history of Lifewise is personally concerning to me and what that stand for as an organization. IHaving their staff affiliated the school during school hours when other children are there could represent an unbalanced or non-patriotic emphasis that All children should be focused on their merit based instruction. That’s the new law now right? a unified patriotic purpose in education…is what the new rollout on the white house website says…

    anyway the level of hiring, safety checks and level of full clear liability lifewise is willing to take on is not 100% clear from what I understand….. the schools have a very rigorous or high standards for their volunteers even….

    i don’t want the schools to find out hard ways and have to pay as a result. thats everyones taxpayers dollars on the line.

  • Facebook User: i will also add my teachers that are doing an outstanding job of “teaching” are not just lecturing….they are doing hands on activities and turning games into educational or learning opportunities….when i attended my churches youth group after hours i was not tired to go…i looked forward to it because we were playing games and learning about Jesus or doing acts of kindness….it was a very active and fun time of the day to decompress after a day of learning and focus on the spiritual and religious aspects of life….without thinking about math coming next. We actually just signed up our kiddo for chess and for a niche art program at school afterhours. I think there are lots of kids looking for after school things. Why is it so hard to keep a niche based program after hours? Perhaps there are too many differing views of Religion and Jesus to not have this become a greater concern for accommodating all students? Perhaps if a person needs so much more time learning about Jesus in Math, Science elsewhere they need to attend a private school? Perhaps afterschool could be the better area for growth as an organization and for an individual?