Peninsula School District is not affiliated with, nor does it endorse, LifeWise Academy, a youth Bible study program new to the Gig Harbor community, Superintendent Krestin Bahr announced at Tuesday’s school board meeting.
Bahr’s comments were in response to a flood of inquiries from parents concerned that Bible study instruction was being introduced into local public schools. Not true, said Bahr.
“LifeWise is not a Peninsula School District or a PSD school board-initiated program and is not affiliated with or endorsed by our district in any way,” Bahr said. “LifeWise is a private religious instruction program held off of school property, it is our understanding, with parental permission and without the use of public funds.”
Parents’ concerns
Bahr said the district recognizes individuals’ constitutional right to exercise freedom of religion outside of schools. Citing school board policy 2340, she said, “families may choose to sign their children out of school to attend such programs at their discretion, just as they would for any off-site appointment such as dental, medical or such.”
But parents who spoke at the board meeting after Bahr’s comments remained wary. Parent Shannon Olsen said having some students pulled out during the school day to attend a religious program, even with parental permission, blurs the lines between the separation of church and state in the public-school setting and runs counter to the district’s strategic goal of creating an inclusive environment. She predicts it will create “an unnecessary division among students.”…