This is what public school complicity looks like.

Ben Rutherford is not just a private citizen supporting Ohio’s school chaplain bill. He is a former public school principal using his public-school experience to urge lawmakers to pass HB 531 — the “School Chaplain Act.”

And the timeline is hard to ignore.

Public-facing materials show Rutherford was connected to Veritas Classical Academy before his time as principal at Caldwell High School. Local reporting identified him as Headmaster at Veritas in 2015, and a 2016 Veritas newsletter was signed by “Ben Rutherford, Headmaster.”

Then came Caldwell Public Schools.

In his HB 531 testimony, Rutherford describes his “direct experience” as principal at Caldwell High School. He says the school had an “Access Period” for clubs, interventions, and enrichment activities.

But what happened inside that public school structure?

According to Rutherford’s own testimony, students introduced a Bible study program that consulted with LifeWise Academy during its formative stages. Local clergy served as volunteer facilitators. The program used a curated Bible-based reading plan.

That means a public school schedule became the vehicle for Bible study, LifeWise consultation, and clergy involvement.

Public school time.
Public school structure.
Private religious programming.

Now Rutherford is listed again as Head of School at Veritas Classical Academy in Marietta. Local reporting says he resigned from Marietta City Council after accepting that role, and described Veritas as being “in the process of becoming a charter school.”

So …. that means…

Veritas Classical Academy
to Caldwell High School
to Bible-based programming and LifeWise consultation during Access Period
to HB 531 testimony using Caldwell as the example
to back at Veritas, now reportedly pursuing charter status.

That should concern every public school family in Ohio.

Because Rutherford’s testimony does not just support HB 531. It exposes the strategy behind it.

Call it “character.”
Call it “support.”
Call it “well-being.”
Call it “community partnership.”

The record shows something else: Bible-based programming, LifeWise consultation, clergy access, and public school infrastructure being used together.

That is not neutral student support.

That is religious formation being routed through a public school system.

And Rutherford does not stop there.

He describes clergy as a “cultural and moral touchstone” inside the school routine. He cites students reflecting on being made in the “image and likeness of God.” He claims students who had been disruptive, anxious, or depressed experienced positive changes after a session connected to Genesis 1:26-27.

Then he frames secular public education itself as the problem.

Rutherford argues that public schools may implicitly favor “humanistic or atheistic perspectives.” He claims teachers feared union members and church-state separation advocates who wanted to maintain a “secular mindset” in public education. He says that mindset stifles the “natural inclination toward moral good.”

There it is.

The problem, in his telling, is not a lack of counselors, social workers, nurses, or actual student supports.

The problem is secular public education.

And the solution is clergy.

That is the ideology behind these bills.

SEA fully supports public schools and the educators who protect students every day. But support does not mean silence.

When current or former public school leaders use their titles, credibility, and inside knowledge of school systems to advance Bible-based programming, clergy access, LifeWise consultation, or chaplain-style legislation, we are going to name it.

Also worth noting: Ohio Rep. Kevin Ritter, who represents the 94th District, is listed as a founding board member of Veritas Classical Academy in Marietta.

SEA has submitted public records requests to Caldwell Exempted Village Schools, the Ohio House, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, and the City of Marietta seeking records related to Rutherford’s public school employment, Caldwell High School’s Access Period, Bible study programming, clergy volunteers, LifeWise consultation, claimed student outcomes, HB 531 testimony coordination, Veritas Classical Academy’s public-funding or charter/community-school activity, and any overlap with his public role in Marietta.

Because Ohio families deserve more than vague claims about “support” and “character.”

They deserve to know whether public school structures were used to help private religious programs gain access to children.

They deserve to know whether parents were fully informed, whether volunteers were properly screened, whether students were protected, and whether the claims being used to push chaplains into public schools are backed by evidence.

Public school children are not a mission project.

They are not a market.

They are not a pipeline.

Public trust comes with responsibility.

And public school neutrality is NOT optional.

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