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

UPDATE / DOCUMENTATION NOTE The original LifeWise Tri-Valley Facebook posts identifying Christopher Alan Riggs appear to have been removed or hidden. But Google’s indexed search results still show the receipts. One result identified “Pastor Chris and Mrs. Diana Riggs” with Adamsville 4th–6th grade. Another result from LifeWise Academy – Tri-Valley referred to “Mr. Chris and… Read More

UPDATE: Court records show Christopher Alan Riggs has pled guilty. Muskingum County Common Pleas Court records show that on May 14, 2026, Christopher Alan Riggs was arraigned upon a Bill of Information and pled guilty. The docket states that sentencing has been deferred pending a pre-sentence investigation and that the court ordered Riggs to have… Read More

This is the part people need to understand: It will not always be called LifeWise. Sometimes it will be “God Squad.”Sometimes it will be “character.”Sometimes it will be “Bible release time.”Sometimes it will be some sweet little local name that sounds harmless. Different name.Different flyer.Different curriculum.Same basic model: Pull public school children out during the… Read More

LifeWise Academy is not a tiny local Bible club. Ohio workforce data shows LifeWise Academy appearing among top education/training employers posting online job ads in the state…listed alongside universities, hospitals, school districts, community colleges, and major education employers. That should make people look twice. Because the public is repeatedly told these programs are “private,” “local,”… Read More

Yes, we know. Prince of Egypt is a great movie. Killer soundtrack. Beautiful animation. Well researched compared to a lot of religious media… That is not the point. The point is that Christianity has been treated as “normal” in public schools for so long that many people don’t even recognize when it is being centered.… Read More

Lear. Brenner. Williams. Three Ohio politicians who helped drag religion deeper into public schools. Lear and Williams cosponsored HB 8, the bill that became Ohio law and included released-time religious instruction language for public schools. (The Lifewise Bill) Brenner cosponsored it in the Senate, chaired the Senate Education Committee, and helped move it through. HB… Read More

They are trying to launder religious education through the public-school system. That is what the Oklahoma religious charter fight is really about. Everything else is just noise to distract you. A proposed virtual Jewish charter school is trying to become what St. Isidore could not: the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school. Do NOT… Read More

Happy Mother’s Day to the moms and caregivers breaking cycles. To the moms refusing to teach their children that exclusion is normal. To the moms speaking up when public schools blur the line between church and state. To the moms protecting kids who are being singled out, pressured, or made to feel like they do… Read More

This article is a disappointing example of what happens when reporting on released time religious instruction repeats the program’s preferred framing without fully examining the impact on public schools. LifeWise is not simply a feel-good Bible club. It is a rapidly expanding, franchise-style religious program operating during the public school day – and that deserves… Read More

Texas children are hungry. Texas children need food, clothing, school supplies, working technology, safe buildings, teachers, nurses, counselors, and support. But Ken Paxton is not investigating whether children have lunch. He is investigating whether classrooms have the state’s preferred religious poster on the wall. That is OBSCENE. More than 60% of Texas public school students… Read More

LifeWise keeps insisting it is “just optional Bible education.” Then why is LifeWise Christian Academy of Wells County listed in an Indiana Commission to Combat Drug Abuse community plan alongside legitimate public-health, youth-service, and government-linked agencies like Wells County DCS, WIC, Wells County Probation, Community Care of NEI, Family Centered Services, and the YWCA? This… Read More