š§ FUN FACT FRIDAY: Why Ohio?
Ever wonder why Ohio became ground zero for LifeWise Academy?
LifeWiseās roots trace back to Van Wert, Ohio. In 2012, a ministry called Cross Over the Hill began providing released-time Bible education to public school students in Van Wert. LifeWise says that program eventually inspired Joel Penton ā a Van Wert native and former Ohio State football player ā to develop a model that could be replicated in public school communities across the country.
By 2019, the Van Wert program had reorganized to become LifeWise Academyās flagship program. (LifeWise Academy)
š©But hereās the part you probably havenāt heard.
Nearly two decades earlier, public-school religious instruction in Van Wert County had already landed in federal court. š³
In 2001, the ACLU of Ohio announced a lawsuit against Crestview Local Schools in Van Wert County, alleging years of church-state violations.
According to the ACLU, students had received:
ā”ļø Biblical instruction during school hours
ā”ļø Materials from local churches sent home by teachers
ā”ļø āCharacter educationā with a biblical theme as part of the formal curriculum
ā”ļø Bibles distributed at student assemblies
ā”ļø Bible readings during a school Christmas assembly
šØThe ACLU called them āsevere and textbook violations.ā (ACLU of Ohio)
Then, just eleven years later, a new program began in the same county offering Bible instruction to public-school students during the school day ā this time structured to fit within released-time law by moving the religious instruction off school property.
That program eventually became the flagship for LifeWise Academy. š« And today, the model that grew out of Van Wert has spread across the country.
Ohio wasnāt just another state where LifeWise showed up. It was the testing ground.
Happy Fun Fact Friday. š
What people are saying:
- Facebook User: I honestly can say, I’m positive Ohio is the worst at pushing religion. My kids are awkwardly standing before games while the teams pray. I told them to stand strong.
- Facebook User: Great program designed to help children. Understand why you hate it. Hate destroys.
- Secular Education Association: Facebook User tell us, and be specific ā how is it helping children?
- Facebook User: Secular Education Association It has given them a place (not on school property) to get help with school work while also getting lessons on how to be a better person and to find positive influences in their lives. Mental health is a major concern for youth today. This is one tool in the toolbox to help youth.
- Facebook User: Facebook User Your opinion.
- Facebook User: Facebook User LifeWise is Christian Nationalism dressed up as character education. Teaching scientific illiteracy, and telling children that hell awaits if they don’t follow Jesus, or if they’re being raised by a single mom, or if they have a gay friend. This group interrupts the public school day, taking students out of classes taught by licensed professionals, only to be whisked away by amateur volunteers with weak background checks. No, this is not okay. Parents already have the choice of Christian schools. Public schools must remain neutral.
- Facebook User: Facebook User telling children they’ll burn in hell is not helping the children. Jesus loves you conditionally?
- Facebook User: Why canāt lifewise indoctrinate kids after school then drive them to wherever they go for after school careā¦and save parents some day care expenses? š¤
- Secular Education Association: Facebook User because then they wouldnāt have the captive audience of the kids who arenāt participatingāso their predatory incentives and bribery tactics wouldnāt work as well. Not to mention how much more expensive it would be to actually provide transportation wherever each child is going. That might actually help children and families struggling with after school care.. and that isnāt their goal. To further strain, divide, and destroy public education entirely is the goal.
- Facebook User: Facebook User it doesn’t serve the Christian Nationalist agenda.
- Facebook User: Facebook User My thoughts exactly.
- Facebook User: Facebook User why can’t Muslim students pray after school ?
- Secular Education Association: Facebook User Muslim students are allowed to pray at school when their religious practice requires it, subject to the same neutral rules schools apply to other students. That is an individual student exercising their religion.
A private organization removing groups of children from public school during the school day for off-campus religious instruction is an entirely different issue.
And using Muslim students as the automatic comparison every time Christian religious programming is criticized is getting pretty tiresome.
- Facebook User: Secular Education Association they aren’t allowed to meet in public schools
- Secular Education Association: Facebook User what? We didnāt say ātheyā are.
- Facebook User: I had no idea!!! Thanks for informing us!!
- Facebook User: How fast people forget
- Facebook User: I was in junior high in a neighboring county in 2001! Never knew this about Crestview!
- Facebook User: Xi Jinping follows Secular Education Association.
- Facebook User: Interesting- there’s 2 parts of the lawsuit: flyers and the program.
https://www.toledoblade.com/frontpage/2002/04/14/Crestview-still-in-court/stories/200204140031“Examining the facts in the record through the lens of the appropriate tests leads to the conclusion that defendants’ actions fail to pass constitutional muster. Even construing the facts in the light most favorable to defendants, due to the young age of the children affected by the policy, the practice of distributing religious material to students could be construed as an endorsement of religion by the school or the teachers….Given the youth of the children who are the targets of the flyers, as well as the their inability to distinguish between endorsement and *859 neutrality when given something from their teachers, I agree with the plaintiffs that the distribution of flyers advertising religious activities violates the second prong of Lemon and the endorsement test…Defendants rely on the neutrality of the school policy to reinforce their argument that the school neither advances nor inhibits religion. They maintain that the school principal carefully scrutinizes each flyer submitted for distribution “to ensure that it is not advocating or `touting’ the benefits of any particular religion,” and that flyers that do not meet the standard of neutrality do not reach the students’ mailboxes. Doc. 36 at 3. To a certain extent, she succeeds. The flyers in the record themselves neither proselytize nor “tout” the benefits of being Christian over any other religion or lack thereof. Even so, while the flyers may be relatively neutral, the activities they reference are overtly religious in nature. Because young children may not be able to differentiate between an activity advertised and a neutral position taken toward that activity, the danger that the children will perceive endorsement of religion exists. In this respect, Crestview’s policy exceeds the bounds of neutrality, and thus fails the endorsement test….Religious organizations are free to advertise any activities that do not include a proselytizing element within public elementary schools; such schools are not, however, an appropriate forum for advertising *861 overtly religious and sectarian activities. Especially considering the youth and impressionability of primary school children, such advertising violates the Establishment Clause.”
This is extremely helpful Secular Education Association !!!
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/220/854/2533937/
- Facebook User: In the 1950ās, we segregated kids in local schools by their faith. The result was terrible religious animosity of communities towards each other. When this practice was stopped in the mid 60ās, religious tolerance developed. However, this may reignite the animosity, and already has with the LifeWise kids telling their peers that they wonāt go to heaven or that their moms and dads arenāt really Christian. Ugly is an understatement for what is happening. All in Jesus name of course.
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