Author: Admin
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A Mission In Missouri
LifeWise Academy has struggled to establish a foothold in Missouri. According to SEA’s tracking of the organization’s own materials, only a small number of districts have entered the early stages of the LifeWise launch process. As of January 2026, none had secured final school approval. One of the most visible efforts to bring LifeWise to…
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Loss of a student by LifeWise Academy raises concerns about transparency, safety procedures and accountability.
Secular Education Association previously reported about an incident that occurred on December 10, 2025, when a 7-year-old child was left behind by LifeWise Academy in Decatur, Indiana. A negligent lack of basic safety protocols and oversight caused this student to begin walking back to Bellmont Elementary alone—scared and confused. During that walk, the child was…
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LifeWise’s Quiet Policy Overhaul
What Changed Between April 2024 and August 2025 — and Why It Matters Between April 2024 and August 2025, LifeWise Academy quietly rewrote the rules governing how its programs operate during the public school day. What was once a 14-page “Policies and Procedures” template expanded into a 30-page document. Entirely new sections were added. Others…
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How LifeWise Gets Into Public Schools
An Investigative Record From One Kentucky District — and a Pattern Repeated Over and Over LifeWise Academy frequently characterizes its presence in public schools as the result of local, community-driven interest. Parents, the organization says, ask for the program. Districts respond. The process is described as voluntary, transparent, and rooted in grassroots demand. Public records…
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How LifeWise Quietly Engineered State Power — and Why Ohio Was Only the Beginning
It is easy to believe that major changes in public education happen through laws, hearings, and votes. What happened in Ohio shows something very different. It started quietly, behind closed doors, with emails no one was supposed to see. For families and teachers, the result was children being pulled out of class — and school…
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Secular Education Association Joins National Coalition to End Child Marriage
The Secular Education Association (SEA) is proud to announce it has joined the National Coalition to End Child Marriage as an organizational ally, partnering with Unchained At Last and advocates nationwide to advance laws that protect young people and safeguard their education. “Education is one of the best protections against exploitation,” said Molly Gaines, SEA…
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LifeWise and Family Policy Alliance: A Mission to Take Over Public Schools
In a revealing interview from November of 2024, leaders Joel Penton and Craig DeRoche describe schools as Christian “mission fields,” laying out a national plan to turn public education into a tool for evangelism. In an interview hosted by the Family Policy Alliance, CEO Craig DeRoche sat down with Joel Penton, founder of LifeWise Academy,…
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“Good Kids Go to Church?”
What LifeWise Academy’s Lesson Plans Really Teach Children LifeWise Academy likes to tell school boards and parents that its program is about “character education.” They describe lessons in honesty, respect, and kindness — values that sound harmless, even admirable, in a school setting. But when we look at their actual curriculum, a different story emerges.…
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Where the Line Is: Religious Groups and Public School Events
As another school year begins, parents across the country are asking the same question: Can religious groups like LifeWise set up inside public schools during open houses and recruitment events? The short answer: It depends. The longer answer is more complicated, and it matters—because how districts handle these requests shapes whether public schools remain neutral,…
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BiblesinSchools.org : Another Front in the Push to Evangelize Public Education
In recent years, a nonprofit called Bibles in Schools has been working quietly but persistently to place Christian scriptures into public school libraries across the United States. Founded in 2018 by former teacher Hannah Sailsbury, the group began with a seemingly simple moment: a student discovered a tattered Bible in a school library, and Sailsbury…