Reminder: Secular Education Associationuncovered the Renee Beck situation in July 2024 with a basic Google search. Not the media.Not LifeWise.Not LifeWise’s background-check process… We did. LifeWise Firelands publicly introduced Beck as its director, saying she would be making a “life-changing impact on students with the gospel.” But a simple search showed she had been fired… Read More

A parent asked River View Local School District a very simple child-safety question: “Does Riverview independently review LifeWise’s screening process, or is the district relying solely on the organization’s own internal procedures?” The superintendent’s answer is revealing, and very scary. LifeWise runs the background checks. LifeWise keeps/sends the paperwork. The local LifeWise group would provide… Read More

NBC4 is now reporting on concerns raised by members of the Secular Education Association about LifeWise employee vetting. This is about child safety, public school accountability, and the danger of creating unnecessary access to children during the school day through privately run religious programs. Public schools spend enormous time and resources vetting, supervising, and monitoring… Read More

A parent contacted us about the Northern Local LifeWise program. LifeWise told parents that a volunteer had been removed after criminal charges. The volunteer was identified as William Thomas Vansickle. Public jail records list the charges as: RapeGross Sexual Imposition LifeWise said he served in a limited capacity assisting with crossing guard duties, passed a… Read More

Louisiana’s Legislature just passed a released-time religious instruction bill. It does not force every school board to adopt a program. But it does something almost as damaging: it builds the legal runway. The bill creates a state framework for churches and religious organizations to pull public school students out during the school week for religious… Read More

Predators exist everywhere children exist.That is the uncomfortable, undeniable truth. They exist in churches.They exist in sports.They exist in youth programs.They exist in schools.They exist anywhere adults are given access to children. That is why public schools spend enormous time, money, and effort building systems to reduce risk: background checks, mandated reporting, supervision rules, professional… Read More

Kenneth E. Holycross III has been arrested in Miami County and charged with two counts of rape involving minors, according to local reporting. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in jail on a $500,000 bond. Dayton Children’s has confirmed he is a former employee. And he was also listed as a LifeWise teacher for… Read More

Ohio is the receipt. Now check your state. When released-time religious instruction laws change from “may” to “shall,” local school districts lose power. That tiny word change can mean the difference between: “Our district may allow this.”and“Our district shall allow this.” That is not local control.That is state lawmakers forcing public schools to accommodate outside… Read More

Ohio changed released-time religious instruction from “may” to “shall.”➡️Translation: districts lost the ability to say no. And a superintendent knew exactly what that meant. In an email, he called it: “a scam and slap in the face of public education.” He was right. This is not just an Ohio problem. This is the national playbook:… Read More

The Christopher Riggs issue is not isolated.SEA has been warning about this exact problem since July 2024, when we raised concerns about Renee Beck. Now, in 2026, Christopher Riggs is the latest example. In both cases, SEA raised concerns about people publicly connected to LifeWise programs. Not because we had special access. Not because the… Read More

Do you think the end of the school year means LifeWise is slowing down? Think again. SEA tracked LifeWise movement from April 5 to May 18, 2026. In just six weeks: 43,384 schools moved forward at the signature stage.6,389 schools moved forward in launch steps. That does not mean every one of these schools has… Read More

In case you missed it: They keep calling released-time religious instruction “private” and “off campus.” But the records tell a much messier story. In Plymouth, Ohio, public records reviewed by SEA show a LifeWise Academy project involving: public school land Board of Education approval superintendent coordination village records zoning approval public water and sewer references… Read More

Stop calling it “private” when public schools make it possible. Families are told released-time religious instruction is simple: Kids leave school.Parents give permission.The program is private.The school is separate. But public records from Plymouth, Ohio show why that story falls apart fast. SEA reviewed records tied to a LifeWise Academy project showing public school land,… Read More

This NBC4 article is exactly why SEA keeps warning about released time laws. This is not about blaming public schools. We support public schools. Our concern is with lawmakers and outside organizations creating systems that pull children off campus during the school day, away from the layered safety protections schools work so hard to maintain.… Read More

LifeWise Academy says it is “private.” But in Putnam County, public records raise a very public question. County commissioner minutes say LifeWise Academy was provided outside space at the Ag Complex/fairgrounds for a trailer from January through March 2026 at a rate of $50 per month. The minutes describe it as a “temporary solution” until… Read More