What people are saying:

• Secular Education Association: comment:

  Read Ohio HB 304 here: https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/136/hb304

  If Ohio is going to require more recess for K–8 students, that time should stay with kids — not become a bigger opening for release-time religious programs.

  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association so my daughter, a student school board rep in our district & her predecessors from the last few years worked really hard to advocate for the other part of this bill which is to allow club sports to count for HS PE credit. It’s my understanding that there is a push at the Statehouse to remove the recess portion of this bill. I’d encourage others to advocate for that as well. Please only remove the recess increase portion of the bill & leave the club sports for PE credit. Thank you
• Facebook User: nothing that separates the kids by religion/faith should occur during the school day ~ NEVER EVER EVER
• Facebook User: Recess
• Facebook User: You have to be off school property. Where are you going within a half hour?
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User we’d say this is the other side of the goal. More time to transport the kids away to churches who will work with Lifewise. In many areas the local congregations and clergy have studied the curriculum and decided that it wasn’t something they wanted their churches children to attend. This effectively puts a huge wrench in the plan. If you can’t find a church within a certain distance, and you can’t afford to build right next to one (yet) or to “rent” a facility and just do it on the property (yes we have seen this too)…. Then what do you do? You steal away more time.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User we have churches literally across the street from one school in our district, the other is only 2 blocks away. It takes mere minutes to transport them
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User that is not the case for every district or location. And again, even those churches don’t always want to partner with Lifewise.
  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association right. We are very small villages in our district. We have 5 churches withen a half mile of the school where my kid goes.
• Facebook User: This could be a win though. The kids who don’t attend Lifewise would benefit from better quality education, increased learning, better test scores because research strongly correlates physical activity with academic learning. If parents are letting their kids choose what they want, a lot of kids currently going to Lifewise would instead choose recess. For kids forced to go to Lifewise, they will miss out on the valuable socializing and play that we know is a conduit towards retention of academic content. I’d be willing to hear this bill out further to see if it would be a net positive or negative to students.
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User that’s a fair point, and honestly, it’s part of why this issue matters so much.

    If more recess truly stays with kids, that could absolutely be a benefit. Recess supports play, movement, social development, and learning. The concern is that in Ohio, recess can also become the slot districts use for released-time religious instruction. So instead of more protected time for children, it could become more school-day opportunity for outside religious programs.

    And you’re right about another important piece: if children were genuinely free to choose, many likely would choose recess over being pulled from school for Bible class. That’s exactly why this should be looked at carefully. A bill meant to help kids should actually benefit kids—not create a bigger opening for adults to claim more of the school day.

    So yes, if this results in more real recess for students, that’s positive. If it results in more recess on paper but more release time in practice, that’s a very different story.

  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association what they are hoping is to propagate more ‘religious right voters’ in future generations in Ohio and across the country! I will NOT see any children in my family be part of this CULT!
  • Facebook User: Very well said. Good analysis. I am a strong recess and free play advocate. But even stronger is my concern that the recess is used and protected as recess for all children
• Facebook User: Once again, more government from the party of less government.
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User exactly that, stripping local control away from districts and silencing parents and their communities.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User I’m stealing that line!
• Facebook User: They better not. I was so close to calling the school about sending home religious flyers for lifewise in my child’s folder. Hes in kindergarten. KINDERGARTEN
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User that’s absolutely unacceptable. The school is NOT to promote or facilitate the program in any way. It gives the appearance of promotion and endorsement, that its school adjacent or related.

    We would encourage you to document that and report it to the school. It may be worth filing a complaint with the Facebook User as well.

  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association I was so mad I threw it away. I should have kept it and said something but I was afraid I would be out of pocket doing so.

    I was a victim of abuse by a religious organization so this type of thing enrages me, because I send my child to secular school for a reason!!

  • Facebook User: Facebook User we understand completely. Many members of our organization share those same feelings and even a similar experience. You have every right (and so do your kids) to a pluralistic and inclusive public school education.
  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association Also tired of hearing from kids I know that Likewise participants come back and tell other students they are going to go to hell bc they didn’t go Lifewise
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User if you’re comfortable-please submit your testimony to us so that we can document the harm that we are seeing happen all over the country. A simple email will do. No identifying information necessary. Contact@seculareducationassociation.org
  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association do not hesitate! They are on the move everywhere and are getting legislators in their back pockets. As a Christian, I am totally against public schools ‘pressing flesh’ with politicians to secure their wishes. I have homeschooled and sent our daughter to a Christian school when I was undergoing a lifesaving protocol traveling across the country for a clinical trial. We were not wealthy, we were poor, but we paid for her education because we didn’t know if I would live or die! If you want your kids to have a ‘Christian education’ then PAY FOR IT – put them in a Christian school or homeschool! Keep it out of our schools that we pay taxes for, especially the ‘Christian charlatans’ our current administration is claiming to be!
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User thank you for speaking up. Voices like yours matter, especially because this issue is so often framed as though all Christians support bringing religious programs into the public school day. They do not.

    Public schools are not supposed to function as a mission field. Families who want private religious instruction already have every right to pursue it through their churches, homes, and private schools, without using public school time and access to do it.

    What is happening here deserves scrutiny, especially when these programs are expanding through political influence while students lose time meant for a public education. 💜

  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association that is absolutely correct. I appreciate you sharing this information!
• Facebook User: Um so I work for a youth mentoring program and this would allow my mentors more time with their kids. Parents have to sign permission for their kids to participate in Lifewise.
• Facebook User: Does this bill give middle school students 30 minutes of recess then? Because currently they get 0. If so, will middle schools have funding to build playground areas?
• Facebook User: Facebook User
• Facebook User: Recess!