NORTH CAROLINA

New Hanover County Schools does **not** have to approve LifeWise — and local families are fighting because they know exactly what this does: it pulls outside religious programming into the structure of the public school day.

According to local reporting, this proposal would send students off campus once a week for about 45 minutes for Bible study, with the district still having to deal with the scheduling, disruption, and ripple effects on everyone else.

Several board members have already raised concerns about lost instructional time, added burden on principals and teachers, and negative impacts on both the students who leave and the students who stay. Programs like this do not stay neatly “off campus.”

That is why this fight matters.

This is not just about whether a parent can opt in.
It is about whether a public school district should restructure part of the school day around outside religious programming at all.
This is about the pressure it puts on schools, the disruption it creates, and the message it sends about what belongs in the school day.

THIS IS STILL A CHOICE — AND THE BOARD CAN SAY NO.

Shoutout to NHC Educational Justice and the local community members organizing, speaking up, and making sure people understand what is at stake.

Public schools are for education — not for carving out weekly time for Bible study during school hours.

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