It was never “just Bible class.”It was always access to children during the public school day. Children are being removed from school, transported off campus, and placed under the supervision of adults from a private religious program…while parents and districts are often left trying to figure out who is actually responsible for oversight. That is… Read More

OHIO You may have seen a post in How Things Work at the Ohio Statehouse saying Ohio lawmakers ignored calls to add a background-check requirement for LifeWise staff. THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART – Ohio DID add a background-check provision. But it did not create a mandatory statewide background-check requirement… Under ORC 3313.6030, a school… Read More

“What’s the harm?” Ask the kids left behind. Ask the child whose friends leave every week and come back with treats. Ask the child who is told they are missing “truth”, “character”, or “values”. Ask the kids who are stuck doing busy work because 80% of their class leaves. Ask the child who feels singled… Read More

Welcome to everyone who has recently found the Secular Education Association. We are parents whose own children were negatively affected by LifeWise Academy. Like many families, we started by asking questions about what was happening in our own public schools. What we discovered was bigger than one program, one district, or one state. This has… Read More

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