After a child was left behind during released-time religious instruction, the school sent families a letter describing how student safety is supposed to work.
In that letter, North Adams Community Schools says that if a student is missing, the office would “intervene immediately” and communicate with the parent.
We want to be clear: we are not against the school. Schools are trying to manage student safety during the school day and did the right thing by requiring a written agreement with a third-party program.
But here’s what actually happened.
A child participating in LifeWise Academy was left behind at a church during the school day.
No one from the school contacted the parents immediately.
No alert went out.
No real-time intervention occurred.
After the fact, LifeWise contacted the parent and said that LifeWise brought the child back to school.
That was not accurate.
The child later explained that a stranger had already walked her back to school before the LifeWise volunteer arrived. The correct version of events only came out because the child told the truth.
This is where the letter and reality diverge.
The school’s letter describes what is supposed to happen when a student is missing. But in this case, the procedures in that letter did not function — largely because the school was relying on information from LifeWise that turned out to be wrong.
North Adams Community Schools has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with LifeWise that requires LifeWise to:
• take attendance,
• report any student who does not return to school after LifeWise,
• and maintain attendance records the school can inspect.
Those requirements exist so the school can meet its duty of care during the school day.
But in this incident:
• the child was not properly accounted for,
• the school was not notified in real time,
• the parents were not contacted immediately,
• and the information provided by LifeWise afterward was inaccurate.
This is not a failure of intent by the school.
It is a failure of enforcement — and a failure by LifeWise to follow and honestly report under the agreement they signed.
This incident also highlights a broader problem with released-time religious instruction.
RTRI depends on schools releasing children during the school day while relying on outside organizations to track, supervise, and report on those students. When that reporting fails — or is inaccurate — schools cannot realistically intervene “immediately,” no matter what a letter promises.
That is not a system that can be responsibly scaled.
When accountability is blurred and responsibility is split, children are the ones put at risk.
When the truth only comes out because a child speaks up, that’s not reassurance.
That’s a warning.
What people are saying:
- Facebook User: Are Life Wise school units or public schools required to make attendance records available to the public through the Sunshine Law?
I’m assuming it would be from a school board request since they meet publicly and keep meeting records. - Zachary Parrish: This is unacceptable record keeping. Students should be signed out just like any other time they leave the school!
- Facebook User: RTRI should not be another burden on the schools. School administrators and teachers have enough to take care of without this extra burden on them. Lifewise is responsible just as the MOA says.
- Facebook User: These Evangelistaliban brainwashing salons are a fucking disgeace
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