What people are saying:

• Secular Education Association: You can view the entire discussion about LifeWise during this board meeting here 👇
  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association
    This was two or three years ago that you had this issue?
  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association what happened? Were they allowed to do this?
  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association Character Education according to Whom? Why don’t they teach this at their church rather than during public school time ? This divides children at school
  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association Wait, the same Lifewise staff would teach those children who don’t want them to participate ?
• Facebook User: Who wrote this curriculum, by the way? Can anyone prove it isn’t a fundamentalist Christian cult leader?
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User the curriculum is from the Southern Baptist Convention publishing house Lifeway- It’s “the gospel project”. Interestingly enough they wouldn’t let anyone see the curriculum for quite some time- not schools, parents or clergy. WE had to force it out into the open and it got us a lawsuit from lifewise… the settlement of that lawsuit is why anyone can now see what it is at all.
  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association so they feel secretive about it, do they. That’s not suspicious at all…🙄
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User we agree wholeheartedly. And even now you have to give them a ton of your personal information and you only get a specific amount of time (48 hours I think) to review the entire thing; which is impossible by the way. 👀 not suspicious at all.
  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association it’s like they think it’s the Epstein files or something…can’t imagine why…
• Facebook User: “A” lifewise staff member would “stay back” with the kids who don’t want to participate- and “they would have character education ” during that time. Listen to that answer!!!!
  #RedFlagsAllOverThis
• Facebook User: As an educator in Ohio, your kids do not need to be missing anymore education time for any reason; sports, assemblies, religion… When you have students who come to school not potty trained, 2nd graders who do not know their alphabet, students who don’t know their own names, their parent’s names, phone numbers, or addresses, 1st graders who don’t know how to properly hold a book, 5th graders who can’t zip or tie, graduates who can’t read, they need all the academic time they can get. They will waste so much time loading kids on buses, driving off campus, teaching religion off campus, driving back, loading them back on buses, unloading back at school, getting them back to classrooms and back into learning mode. What a waste of a school day. Can you say, Christian Nationalists run America? I’ve heard from colleagues what a disaster this has been. The “Wise” staff were referring to the students who opted out as the left behinds, to their faces. The students would come back with stickers, prizes, and treats in front of the students who opted out. That’s okay when your 12, but horrible for a 6 year old, it’s mean; not Christian behavior. I would not allow one if the “Wise” staff to have contact with my child. Why isn’t having religion based activities on Sundays not good enough anymore? Even before or after school would be more acceptable. This week Hegeseth required the military to unrecognize over 200 religions this week, even Mormons. Can you see where this is going? Wake up people!
• Facebook User: Religion has no place in public schools.
• Facebook User: Indoctrination using tax payer money
• Facebook User: Keep religion and religious groups out of public schools. Instruction time for school subjects only
• Facebook User: Keep your religion out of my child’s ear. 🤷🏻‍♀️
• Facebook User: The completely ridiculous “opt out” structure aside (because it should be strictly opt-in to participate); as a parent who has fiercely protected my children’s right to determine their own spirituality and to decide if they wanted to seek religious affiliation, if I selected to “opt-out” and my children were still exposed to “teaching” from people affiliated with the program, they’d get an automatic opt-in to learn about MY character. I’m absolutely supportive if my children’s decide to be Christian and practice in that vein, but I won’t tolerate anyone making the choice or trying to steer my kids in ANY direction of religion.

  Schools should not be facilitating teaching religion outside of age/developmentally-appropriate world-culture awareness education. If students want to practice their own religion/spiritual beliefs at school, they should have the space and safety to do so, but it should NEVER be organized, orchestrated, or directly facilitated by the school and ESPECIALLY NOT during school hours.

  I protect space for my own students—of MANY different religions—to observe their faith. I ensure respect in all directions among them and their peers, with awareness and the space to share ideas with each other. HOWEVER, even if the students are observing practices that I have in common, within my own faith, I NEVER participate or engage in the practice/observance *with* my students because I refuse to have undue influence on children I am trusted to teach and care for in my classroom.

  Any school board that would allow this needs to feel some serious backlash and consequences for violating the rights of families and disrespecting the incredibly diverse spiritual landscape that public education serves.

  • Secular Education Association: Agreed! In some states the school boards are being mandated by law to work with programs like this. So it isn’t entirely down to the school boards always. BUT. In the same breath- as many as we see trying to hold the line that’s being blurred – we see as many facilitating the blurring. It’s really on a case by case basis. What’s surprising is that the woman speaking off camera is an elementary school principal… she should see the problem with what she is saying and how she proposes this is “gonna work”.
  • Facebook User: Your level of ignorance is astounding….
• Facebook User: How would they feel if a Scientologist did this?
• Facebook User: Seperation of church and state wth
• Facebook User: OH HELL NO!!!!

  YOU GUYS NEED TO STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!!!

• Facebook User: These are the same kinds of people against sex ed 🫪
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User nailed it. They sure are.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User no. I support sex ed. That’s factual and science based. Religious indoctrination has no place in school.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User like John Money’s Sex Ed?
  • Facebook User: Facebook User obviously that what’s I’m saying
• Facebook User: Religious education is for church.
• Facebook User: This is bull. Religious education should be left to family only. It should not be taught in public schools. This is clearly indoctrination of children into a singular religious belief and belief system of behavior not under the control of parents.This is state manipulation of children’s beliefs and behaviors outside the parent’s control.
• Facebook User: Call the ACLU.
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User we have. In 2021. And every other group you can think of. Their lack of response is why we exist.
  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association try asking Facebook User, they love using these bible thumpers own rules against them.
    Facebook User could start one of their clubs to educate and entertain the kids who opt out of the religious stuff.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User not a bad idea at all. I know there’s a TST chapter in Fort Wayne. I bet they would be easy to reach out to
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User No thank you. We don’t want ANY interruption to the school day. Period. Adding another program to the school day that has the same risks and issues (we would know we checked) is not the answer in our opinion. While we understand the “point” of the satanic temple and their programs – the resources just aren’t there to provide a meaningful alternative nationwide.
  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association most of the Satanic Temple’s programs are after school and don’t disrupt the kids daily activities. Which is what those religious instruction programs should also be doing, after school!
    The Satanic Temple also sets up clubs so while the christian religious instruction is going on the rest of the kids can be doing fun secular activities.
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User we know the difference between The Satanic Temple’s After School Satan Club and their proposed HAIL religious release-time program.

    That difference is exactly why we are saying this.

    After School Satan Clubs happen after school, under the same general rules as other after-school clubs. Families opt in. The instructional day is over. The school is not rearranging schedules or separating children during class time.

    HAIL is different. HAIL was created specifically as a during-school release-time response to programs like LifeWise.
    And that is the problem.

    We do not want public schools turning the school day into a competition between outside religious groups. We do not want kids pulled out for LifeWise, HAIL, or any other private religious program during public school hours.

    After-school clubs are one thing. During-school release time is the issue. Public school time should remain public school time.

  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association in a perfect world yes but we are living in authoritarian times and sometimes the best thing to do is give ‘em a taste of their own medicine and then watch them self correct.
  • Secular Education Association: Facebook User they don’t self correct though. It further helps divide. Cause chaos. Stretch resources. Add liability. We absolutely understand the tactic, we just aren’t sure this is the place to use it. That being said- we appreciate you being here and offering suggestions. All hands on deck!!
  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association thanks, I’m just brainstorming with ya in looking for ways to stop these religious fanatics by using their own rules against them, malicious compliance is a wonderful thing.
    Freedom of and from religion is the law and these bible thumping bigots are gonna have to learn one way or another.
  • Facebook User: Secular Education Association Did you reach out to the national ACLU? That is who I reached out when our elementary school allowed the Gideons to come into classrooms and give out bibles. They jumped right on it. By that afternoon the teachers took them back.
• Facebook User: Church is for the religious education, home and family is for the religious education, as there are 10,000 religions. School is for all the other subjects children of different religions can learn together.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User And that’s fine as long as they’re not making religious accommodations during school time for Muslims or Sikhs or Buddhists or whatever.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User yeah, got it indoctrinate those little minds early in church and in home.
  • Facebook User: Oh I’m an atheist so I think religion is bullshit but at the least keep it out of public schools
  • Facebook User: Facebook User did you not catch the context of what she was saying.\n You’re too busy attacking because it feels like it’s an attack on your personal belief because they can’t personally or force Christianity into schools. Religion does not belong in public schools, especially Christianity, especially Bigots. It’s the christians here that do more damage , not muslims not any other group but Christian groups. It’s funny when a bunch of Christians wanna feel pressed when them themselves like the push their personal beliefs and agendas onto the public constantly.But cry , when they get told no
  • Facebook User: No accommodations for ANY religions in public schools. No Christian, no Jewish, nothing!!! Science, math, reading, writing, history, physical education, health, that’s what they learn
  • Facebook User: Facebook Usernone period idiot. It’s all indoctrination
• Facebook User: Let’s call this what it is– indoctrination that interrupts the public school routine. Parents– do your homework on this!!!!!
• Facebook User: NO RELIGION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS!
• Facebook User: NOPE Public school = NO RELIGION…PERIOD. Religion can be learned at home and church
• Facebook User: As a parent my response to this in a public school would be Hell No.
• Facebook User: NOT what I want my tax dollars funding when we are rock bottom in industrialized nations education level!
• Facebook User: Is this a public school??
  • Facebook User: Facebook User yup. Which is why this is ridiculous.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User outrageous. I hope the school boards approving this huge violation of their students’ Constitutional rights are sued back into the 1950s where they want to live.
  • Facebook User: Facebook User it is. I actually went here, and it’s so disappointing to hear
• Facebook User: South Adams is historically obtuse in pushing Christian Nationalism.
• Facebook User: You can’t run a RELIGIOUS program in a public school and have kids opt out. That is not FAPE. All students must be served. And if they can’t be, it doesn’t happen.