🚨 BREAKING: Ohio quietly expands school-day religious release time—again.

Governor DeWine just signed House Bill 57, a bill originally written to let schools keep overdose-reversal medication on hand. But tucked inside is a last-minute Senate amendment expanding Released Time Religious Instruction (RTRI)—the same loophole that has fueled LifeWise Academy’s explosive growth across Ohio.

Under the previous law, schools could only excuse students twice a week for off-campus religious classes. Lawmakers have now lifted that limit entirely, after roughly 50 districts—mostly in Northwest Ohio—complained that Catholic students couldn’t attend daily Mass or catechism.

The result?
➡️ Even more instructional time can now be replaced with religious programming during the public school day.
➡️ LifeWise and similar programs gain yet another foothold inside Ohio’s public education system.
➡️ The amendment passed without public hearings or community input—just a “fix” slipped into a bill about saving lives from overdose.

Ohio already required every district to adopt an RTRI policy earlier this year. Now the guardrails are being stripped away, one by one.

SEA will continue tracking these stealth changes and helping families understand their rights. Public education must remain secular, inclusive, and focused on learning—not proselytizing.

🧡 Stay informed. Stay vocal. Protect the school day.

📚 Learn more or join your state chapter- facebook.com/groups/SecularEducationAssociation

https://www.cleveland.com/open/2025/10/dewine-signs-bill-expanding-school-released-time-allowing-drug-overdose-reversal-meds.html

#PublicSchoolsAreNotPulpits #OhioEducation #ChurchAndState #LifeWise #SecularEducation #HB57 #StopRTRI

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