The Beacon Journal’s recent editorial, “LifeWise is an unwise choice for school districts,” argues against the passage of Ohio House Bill 445 because in the board’s view, religious instruction should occur on the weekends or after school hours.
The editorial fails to include a key point. Parents do not have to choose to enroll their child in a released-time religious instruction program. The passage of HB 445 would simply give them the freedom to do so as it would require school districts to make released-time religious instruction permissible.
Why shouldn’t parents have the freedom to make this decision? At LifeWise , parents have told us time and again that they want Bible-based character education for their kids during the day, but the demands of extracurricular activities and work make it difficult to do so. LifeWise makes it possible. We’ve also heard from principals and teachers that students who participate in LifeWise come back to the classroom more engaged and well behaved.