The Supreme Court held in 1948 and 1952 that public school children might receive religious instruction during the school day if it was off campus and was not government-sponsored.
Willamette University law and religious history professor Steven K. Green said Mormon and Jewish groups have employed release time programs nationwide, notably in Utah and New York City, in the decades after.
He said LifeWise's franchise-style, “plug-and-play” model allowing local groups to start new chapters had promoted the idea. Community volunteers fund lessons and choose a church; LifeWise offers curriculum, paid teachers, and background checks.
LifeWise lacked state and district school board approval without release time policies. Penton said school boards normally approve the program. Refusing board members and administrators highlighted school day interruptions.
Some GOP-controlled state legislatures have promoted off-campus religious instruction. Last month, Republican Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb mandated LifeWise in public schools. Oklahoma and Ohio lawmakers are considering similar measures.
Doug Shoemaker, director of partnerships and legal services, says Etna Road Elementary in Whitehall City Schools has a decades-old release time regulation. LifeWise was the first Christian group to capitalize, he said.
Since Penton announced it would reduce accessibility, LifeWise has denied requests from multiple school districts to schedule the activity before or after school, like most religious groups.
LifeWise claims their curriculum promotes character, but opponents say it crosses church-state divides.NBC News' Maddie McGarvey With two children in LifeWise in the New Albany-Plain Local School District outside Columbus, Jessica Cappuzzello said, “I have firsthand seen differences in my boys that I kind of never thought possible.”
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