🚨 OHIO — NORTHWEST (ANTHONY WAYNE) 🚨
📢 School-Day Religious Conference Actively Marketed to Anthony Wayne Students as “You Get to Miss a Day of School”
On Friday, January 23, a Student Leadership Conference hosted by Redemption Church (and it’s pastor Steven Whitlow) is scheduled entirely during the public school day — and it is being explicitly promoted to high school students in the Anthony Wayne School District as a reason to skip class.
This is not speculation. It is stated clearly in the church’s own sermon.
🎥 Sermon link (timestamp ~12:15):
Steven Whitlow, pastor of Redemption Church, tells the congregation:
“If you are in high school, the student leadership conference is Friday, January 23rd…
from like 8:30 in the morning till a little bit after lunch, 2:30 — like a school day.”
He then frames the purpose:
“This is our opportunity to begin to make significant inroads into the life of high schoolers in Northwest Ohio…
changing the landscape of the future of so many students.”
Moments later, the co-pastor makes the incentive unmistakable:
“There’s really no reason not to.
You get to miss a day of school.
You get to come hear a bunch of cool speakers…
And we have $50,000 in college scholarships to give away.”
What students are being offered
🕗 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. (a full Anthony Wayne school day)
🍴 Lunch provided — yes, the Lord’s chicken
💰 $50,000 in scholarships (attendance required)
🎤 A speaker lineup designed to feel credible, aspirational, and peer-driven
The speakers — named, and why this lineup matters
This is not a random mix. Each role serves a purpose:
Steven Whitlow — organizer and promoter, openly describing efforts to gain influence over high school students through this event.
Cia Cloud — a large-platform evangelical influencer connected to national Christian outreach networks, bringing reach and credibility with teens already immersed in social-media faith culture.
Kevin Walsh — blends sports culture with Christian testimony, appealing directly to student-athletes and Ohio sports communities.
Savannah Marten, Executive Director of Bella Vita Network — Executive Director of Bella Vita Network and President of the Ohio Coalition of Pregnancy Centers, a statewide network that has publicly partnered with Ohio Right to Life on pregnancy-center advocacy.
Jon Jakubowski — promotes “faith in the marketplace,” reinforcing the idea that religious identity should shape leadership and culture.
Justin Amburgey — Chick-fil-A owner/operator lending business legitimacy (and lunch).
Sydney Williams, President of Designetics, Inc. — a regional manufacturing executive whose presence adds professional credibility to a faith-driven, non-academic event.
Student speaker: a CURRENT Anthony Wayne high school senior and football player, featured as peer validation that normalizes attendance and applies social pressure.
Athletics — especially football — carry significant social weight in this community. Elevating a peer athlete on stage is a known tactic to make skipping school feel acceptable, even admirable.
This is peer pressure by design.
Why Anthony Wayne parents are raising concerns-
Parents are already being told — informally — that this conference will be considered an excused absence.
Anthony Wayne policy does not support that.
Relevant district policies (linked for transparency):
📄 Attendance Policy:
📄” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>https://go.boarddocs.com/oh/awls/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=DMHPL2627E80
📄 Anthony Wayne High School Student Handbook (2025–2026):
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uAo7olRlr5LId99QIXy4SZNf9WlOL0xDdjK-Kp5FiBA/edit?usp=drivesdk
Even the district’s vacation policy is explicit: absences are approved only when students are with their own parent or family, not attending events with other adults or organizations — unless narrowly approved by administration.
A church-run conference with scholarships and incentives does not qualify.
The bigger issue
This isn’t about a single event. It’s about:
Scheduling religious programming during the Anthony Wayne school day
Marketing it as a benefit to “miss school”
Incentivizing attendance with food, money, and social status
And explicitly describing the goal as making “inroads” into students’ lives
Given Steven Whitlow’s well-documented history of controversy and community concern, parents are right to scrutinize any new effort that places his organization in closer proximity to public-school students during the school day.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE NOT RECRUITMENT PIPELINES.
Attendance policies are not optional.
And students should not be pressured — financially, socially, or spiritually — to miss class for religious programming.
We’re documenting this.
We’re paying attention.
And we’re not letting it slide.
📌 Anthony Wayne parents deserve accurate information.
📌 Students deserve their instructional time.
📌 Public schools are not pulpits.
#PublicSchoolsNotPulpits #AnthonyWayne #AttendanceMatters #ChurchOutOfSchools #DataNotSpin #SeparationOfChurchAndState
What people are saying:
- Secular Education Association: Transcript of Clip –
Whitlow- 0:00) Youngest to oldest, if you are in high school, (0:04) the student leadership conference is Friday, January 23rd. (0:07) It’s gonna be from like 8.30 in the morning(0:09) till a little bit after lunch, 2 o’clock in the afternoon. (0:12) 2, like 2.30, like a school day.
(0:13) Lunch will be provided, chick-fil-a, of course. (0:15) The lunch chicken will be present, as usual. (0:19) And… (0:21) What do you think about that? (0:23) All right, so this is our opportunity (0:27) to begin to make significant inroads (0:31) into the life of high schoolers in Northwest Ohio (0:34) because through Revere Bible College, (0:37) we are going to be changing the landscape (0:39) of the future of so many students.
(0:42) And this is the beginning of that for us (0:46) with the high school age folks. (0:47) We’ve got some amazing speakers coming in, (0:50) some notable personalities and social influence (0:54) in the Christian space that our high schoolers (0:57) or have just recently been high schoolers (0:59) that are coming in to talk to the students (1:01) about what it is to be bold and courageous in your faith, (1:04) in the marketplace, and in life. (1:06) And so, if you have a high schooler, (1:09) if you know a high schooler, (1:11) if you have influence over high schoolers, (1:13) you want them to register for this (1:15) and you want them to be there.Co-Pastor (1:16) There’s really no reason not to. (1:17) You get to miss a day of school. (1:19) You get to come hear a bunch of cool speakers.
(1:20) You get to hang out with other high school students. (1:22) And we have $50,000 in college scholarships to give away, (1:26) which is just awesome. (1:28) So that’s that.
(1:29) January 23rd, high schoolers come and join us. (1:31) Then the Clear Truth Conference. - Secular Education Association: Tagging for Visibility – Anthony Wayne High School Facebook User Facebook User Facebook User
- Facebook User: It would be great to see a secular opportunity on the same day, or perhaps a school-wide assembly on the day following these proselytizing events. Some refocusing of diversity, and active civil engagement on defending the first amendment.
- Facebook User: Facebook User
- Facebook User: Facebook User
- Facebook User: So he’s going to bring high schoolers in to convince them to go to his Bible college? Grifters gonna grift.
- Facebook User: The next Anthony Wayne school board meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 13 at 6pm at the high school auditorium. It is imperative for residents and parents to attend to voice their concerns.
- Facebook User: Facebook User lots of concerns
Leave a Reply