What people are saying:

• Facebook User: Making time during the school day for religious instruction off school property with people not vetted by the school system is a problem waiting to happen on so many levels.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User You nailed it. It is a problem waiting to happen.
• Facebook User: This sends up so many red flags. Get them out of our public schools now.
• Facebook User: Why would the district do their own background check on lifewise? PARENTS make the decision to allow THEIR child to participate. In addition, the district is following federal law. Settle down. If you don’t want your child to participate, don’t.
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User settle down? About child abuse? Nah. Ohio law specifically says a school board may require criminal records checks for released-time religious instruction instructors and volunteers -and that the school board determines how those checks are conducted.

    So the question is not, “Why would the district be involved?”

    The question is: why would lawmakers put that authority in Ohio law if districts were supposed to blindly accept whatever the private religious program says it did?

    Parents choosing LifeWise does not erase the district’s ability to set safety requirements in its own released-time policy.

    And “LifeWise handles it” is not the same thing as independent verification.

    Ohio Revised Code § 3313.6030

  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association do you have proof that anyone at Lifewise has committed a crime or is guilty of child abuse? Thoughts Facebook User?
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User uh what? The police seem to have plenty of proof….👀
  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association care to share what police?
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User https://nbc4i.co/4v1Mm1h?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_NBC4
  • Facebook User: Facebook User It’s the same misfits, (but with a different name) grasping at straws. No need to pay any attention to them. Not worth your energy.

    Hilliard Lifewise just had an amazing evening of impact where OSU athletes came and shared their faith and support for the program. What’s amazing is the Lord blessed the program with well over $20k in donations. We are excited to continue the amazing work within the district and community.

  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association thank you for sharing. This IS terrible. If these people passed a background check, why do you think a second background would do any good? what do you think should be done about the school employees who harm children? They also pass background checks.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User The fact of the matter is what life-wise does is not a true background Check along the lines of a BCI and an FBI one. Is merely a consumer credit check that does not pick up anything that a true background check would. Case in point, one of our founders took a background check for Lowe’s and then a life-wise background check and the Lowe’s background check found far more in his record than the LifeWise check did.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User people working for Lifewise are and have been convicted of sexual crimes, and it’s been documented. That isn’t concerning to you?
  • Facebook User: Facebook User school employees who harm children are subject to criminal investigation and possible consequences, depending on the findings of said investigation, just like everyone should be. Why even bring up school employees when LifeWise is the topic at hand?
    Seems like you’re deflecting.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User also why are you just taking the word of this clearly untrustworthy organization that they even actually conducted the background checks they say they have?
  • Facebook User: Facebook User separation of church and state. It should be a separate program after school or on Saturday. It should never be held during school hours.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User that’s your opinion. I can respect that. It’s the law. Don’t like it, work to change it.
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User that’s literally what we are doing but you came here commenting nonsense and being disrespectful about OUR OPINION….
  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association I believe I shared my opinion and asked questions. Having a different opinion or asking questions is not disrespectful. If you’re sharing your thoughts publicly, you should be happy to provide clarification or answer questions.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User What a cop out statement. What year were the case laws established that preside over RTRI? How many laws are there? Do you even know?

    I will tell you…

    1952, some 75 years ago, is when the FOUR laws governing RTRI started. That was before mandates for BCI checks for teachers in 1993.

    I don’t mean to say this this way but parents are not educated as to all of this and I think Lifewise purposely leaves parents out in the cold on their practices in order to franchise their children for profit. I costs money to do these BCI checks. Lifewise would much rather see that $$$ in their pocket rather than see kids safe.

    What a cop out. “The distrist is following the law?” The law is the schools, “Shall have a policy,” to let Lifewise operate in Ohio. The law says the schools are not to do anything other than release the student. Fact is that that is a liability on the school district once a pattern of lack of safety for students is established. These people being involved in abuse crimes because not vetted like teachers as required by law? That is establishing a precedence for the school to be liable in a court of law. This sets up schools for the fall, not Lifewise. This is by design?

• Facebook User: Lifewise is a Christian nationalist group
  • Facebook User: And a hotbed for pedophiles.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User You speak the truth sir 🗣️🗣️
• Facebook User: And they’re not legally responsible for the children in their care.
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User technically speaking they are supposed to be.
• Facebook User: That’s like the FDA clearing drugs for release for the FDA! Make it make sense?? There’s no real safety net for these kids! Terrifying honestly. Please talk to your kids in these programs or remove them.
• Facebook User: Then ask for several to verify.
• Facebook User: Just face the fact that the legislative endorsement is the beginning of creating Christian private schools that will take students away from the public system. The LifeWise movement is actually anti-Catholic and is adversarial to other Christian denominations. It is ultraconservative and is a Trojan Horse that has a foothold in the public school system.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User thank you for defining that part….people get upset when you say bad things about said program but it is anything but Christian…it’s more radical than Catholics, Methodist, episcopals, etc.
• Facebook User: Given that one of their former teachers was just charged with a sexual crime against a minor…they don’t vet them very well….
  • Facebook User: Facebook User ,actually 2
  • Facebook User: Facebook User ugh. Not surprised
• Facebook User: Facebook User took a very similar stance on vetting the people coming into the building to sign out the kids and drive them offsite. Anyone else, parent or otherwise, volunteering at the school has to be fingerprinted and cleared. Concerns over the lack of vetting for the safety of our kids didn’t seem to matter.
• Facebook User: This is complete garbage
• Facebook User: Three Lifewise workers arrested in the last six months for sex crimes in Ohio. Background checks are a fake ‘feel good’ move. Let’s look at the basics. Lifewise attracts MAGA. MAGA is all about sexual abuse of minors. So much so that you can safely suspect any MAGA male as a probable pervert, Ohio MAGA politicians just stopped legislation that would block child marriage. Think about that. Lifewise is not Christian. It is White Nationalism.
• Facebook User: I have started calling their HQ and asking them questions like “do you have to already be a pedophile to get selected to run a group?”