"[2] LifeWise Academy was founded in 2018 by Joel Penton, a former Ohio State defensive lineman,[3][4] as a division of his nonprofit ministry Stand for Truth.
[15] LifeWise Academy operates under released time for religious instruction laws which were upheld in the 1952 US Supreme Court ruling, Zorach v.
[10] Programs are staffed by a director, teachers and volunteers, who help transport students and assist in classrooms as needed, paid by LifeWise Academy.
In Ohio, the instruction can't take place during a “core curriculum” subject,[1] often meeting at the same time as art or music classes, library periods, or during lunch.
[20] Non-evangelical Christians have expressed concern about messages found in LifeWise materials, particularly around topics like marriage, divorce and the LGBTQ community.
[7] A Fall 2023 study by Indiana consulting firm Thomas P. Miller & Associates found that schools that use LifeWise have improved attendance and fewer suspensions.
[14] Peter Marcis, pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Napoleon, Ohio regretted that "all clergy in the community were not brought together to work out the details.
Initially they raised awareness about increased bullying, unsupervised "study hall" during LifeWise programming, disruptions to curriculum, and lack of background checks.
[28] In 2023, objection letters were dispatched to around 600 school districts in Ohio by atheist organization Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), expressing concerns about the endorsement of LifeWise's released-time Bible classes.
[21] Other complaints have documented instances of LifeWise volunteers promoting the program in school classrooms, assemblies, and in paperwork sent home to parents.