Opponents of requiring K-12 schools to adopt policies allowing allow religious education programs offered off school property but during school hours are urging an Ohio House committee not to pass the legislation. But the bill has strong support from lawmakers who like an Ohio-based program that relies on those policies.
"This bill is not about religious pluralism. It’s about one very well-funded program wanting to push its brand of Christian Nationalist beliefs on a captive audience," said former Ohio Board of Education member Christina Collins, now the director of the group Honesty in Ohio Education.
That group and other opponents say Lifewise, the Hilliard-based program that stands to benefit the most from this legislation, has taken hold in some public schools.
Rep. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania) said the bill would change existing state law that permits school districts to come up with policies for religious education release time programs and instead would require them to do so. But he said it gives each school board options on how to do that.
"It could limit it (the program) to only during lunch time, only during recess, it could limit it to just one day a year for release. There's no guidance from the state on what the policy is. That's the discretion left up to the school board," Williams said.
Collins said schools creating a policy is problematic because it would fall on schools to make sure the rules were being followed.
Collins said there also are liability questions for schools, especially since Lifewise does not have staff who know how to properly deal with children who have disabilities. She also questioned the safety of the kids attending, noting Lifewise has hired at least one employee who had their teaching license revoked due to inappropriate contact with students.
Lifewise CEO Joel Penton said the person Collins is referring to was not prosecuted so they slipped through the system, but has since been let go from Lifewise. He said Lifewise employees must undergo background checks. And he added the company recommends they use background checks conducted by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). But he said a key part of the program is to allow local control.
"We provide resources to local communities who want to do this. So it's local people who come together to form local teams that form local boards and then we provide resources to them and a variety of decisions are made on the local level," Penton said.
Collins and parents who oppose the program say it has created "hostile environments" between those who attend and those who don't.
"Students have told other students that they are going to Hell for non-Christian beliefs and their family composition," Collins said.
But Penton said that's not what Lifewise teaches.
“Lifewise specifically teaches about love, respect, and kindness," Penton said.
Some schools that initially allowed Lifewise are debating whether to keep the policy that permitted the program. The Westerville City Schools dropped the Lifewise program in September, and the Worthington City Schools is considering the same.
