Problematic Policies
Abuse
LifeWise says teachers and volunteers are mandated reporters, but their policies do not match this claim. Employees are told to report concerns to a superior, who decides whether any action is taken.
This process does not follow proper mandated reporter procedures. Their “Allegation Email” asks schools to provide evidence of student accusations. Internal misconduct reports must be submitted through a login, with no option for anonymity. This limits accountability and transparency.
Teacher Requirements & Certification
LifeWise calls its teachers “certified,” but no formal teaching experience or education is required. Leading a church group is enough to move an applicant forward.
The certification LifeWise provides is not comparable to public school teaching degrees or training. Full details of the program are available on the documentation page.
Background Checks
As of July 9th, 2024, LifeWise announced it is using a new third-party service for background checks. Reports differ on which company they contracted. We will continue investigating this change.
We want to know why LifeWise switched services. Does this mean our previous concerns were valid? Was Protect My Ministry not thorough enough? What are the differences between the old and new companies?
If Protect My Ministry was inadequate, will all current and past employees need to re-verify? Why were state security standards not followed if the previous service was insufficient?
Background checks at LifeWise raise serious concerns. They are conducted through Protect My Ministry, which only provides consumer reports. These checks do not meet public school or volunteer group standards.
There is no fingerprinting, no rapback monitoring, and no report copies are provided. Criminal record searches are limited. Administrators can even edit applicant answers on the forms sent to the company.
Any organization working with children should prioritize safety. LifeWise’s process does not meet basic requirements to protect students.
Difficult Questions and Student Behavior
These documents outline problematic policies for teachers and volunteers. We believe the policies speak for themselves.
All of the documents cited here and many more can be found in full at our Documentation page.