About Release Time for Religious Instruction
Release Time for Religious Instruction (RTRI), introduced in 1905, allowed students to receive religious education during school hours—usually off school grounds. The 1948 Supreme Court case McCollum v. Board of Education ruled such programs unconstitutional when held in public schools using tax-funded facilities. However, the 1952 Zorach v. Clauson decision permitted off-site, privately funded religious instruction with parental consent, as long as it occurred off school property.
While RTRI was historically designed to respect diverse faiths and maintain separation between church and state, modern programs like LifeWise Academy exploit these laws to promote Evangelical Christian teachings. Our About LifeWise section also outlines the exploited issues. Unlike the original intent of RTRI—which was a voluntary, private extension of family faith—LifeWise encourages proselytizing and recruitment, blurring constitutional boundaries. The continuation of RTRI laws raises serious concerns about fairness and the preservation of secular public education in a religiously diverse nation.