Is a Bible studies program that pulls kids from school coming to Pierce County?

A Bible education nonprofit that plans to offer off-site programs to Peninsula School District students has sparked concern among parents who believe it contributes to an unhealthy learning environment and gives the impression that the district supports a specific religion.

Eight parents spoke during public comment at the school district board meeting Aug. 19, urging the district to stop LifeWise Academy from pulling kids with parental permission out of school for part of the day to attend Bible classes at a local church.

A search tool on the LifeWise website indicates that LifeWise serves 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders at Discovery Elementary. Parents and district leaders told The News Tribune that they are not aware of any active programs at this time, but that they have heard that LifeWise leaders plan to initiate a program for students at Discovery. It’s not clear when that program could begin.

Christine Czernejewski, a public relations representative for LifeWise Academy, confirmed Friday that LifeWise will offer classes to Discovery students in grades 1-3. The organization hasn’t worked with students in the district in the past, she wrote.

“Each week, with parent permission, students may be released from school during their lunch and recess one time per week to attend Bible-based character education classes at a local church that meets LifeWise’s safety requirements,” she wrote in an email Friday.

The district maintains that LifeWise Academy is completely unaffiliated with them and has made no formal agreement with district leaders. The program is allowed by law because it serves students “off of school property, only with parental permission and without the use of public funds,” the district wrote in a statement Aug. 20.

LifeWise Academy is an Ohio-based organization that describes itself on its website as a “Bible education movement.” Citing a 1952 Supreme Court case, Zorach v. Clauson, the organization defends its mission to teach the Bible during school hours — via a concept called “released time religious instruction” or RTRI — as long as the program is hosted off school grounds, is privately-funded and requires parental permission for children to participate. The nonprofit plans to serve students in over 1,100 schools across 34 states in the 2025-2026 school year, according to a recent news release.

Parents’ allegations at the Aug. 19 meeting included that the LifeWise program is distracting and divisive, takes away from regular learning time and contributes to the perception that the district is endorsing a particular religion.

“I am not at all opposed to religious education or parents taking their children out of school for any religious reason,” Jennifer Beachler, president of the Volunteer Parent Organization at Discovery Elementary, said. “I do have a personal objection to any outside organization that would take a group of students out of school during the middle of the school day.”

“ ... I believe this program sets a dangerous precedent,” she said. “By allowing this program to exist, any potential other religious organization, even controversial ones, could operate and pull students out during the day as well.”

She told a reporter after the meeting that she also has questions about student safety under LifeWise’s care.

“Are they protected? Are the background checks strong enough? And does the district have liability if something happens to one or more students during this time, during the middle of the day?” she said.

District leaders acknowledged parents’ concerns at the meeting. Some said they hadn’t heard of LifeWise’s activities in the district until very recently.

“LifeWise is not a Peninsula School District or PSD school board initiated program, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by our district in any way,” Superintendent Krestin Bahr said in an opening statement addressing concerns the district had received about LifeWise. “LifeWise is a private religious instruction program, held off of school property, with parental permission and without the use of public funds.

“We recognize individuals’ right to exercise their constitutional freedom of religion outside of our schools. As such, families may choose to sign their children out of school to attend such programs at their discretion, just as they would for any other off-site appointment.”

She went on to cite a board policy that sets guidelines for religious-related activities and practices in Peninsula School District schools. Board policy 2340 states that “A student, upon the request of a parent, may be excused to participate in religious instruction for a portion of a school day provided the activity is not conducted on school property.”

Near the end of the meeting, Bahr reiterated her statement and added that neither she or the board have met with LifeWise Academy and that there is “no agreement” in place with LifeWise at this time.

Board member Jennifer Butler emphasized that the board had nothing to do with LifeWise and that their knowledge of the situation was also limited.

“I have full faith and confidence in our protocols in our district and our understanding of what our rules and responsibilities are to children, to sign-out, to safety, that we will sort this out, but we have to ... first of all even understand what’s happening,” she said.

A detailed FAQ page on the LifeWise website provides answers to a range of questions. The organization says that they are “committed to fostering a safe and respectful environment for all students, staff and volunteers,” that they work with school personnel to schedule classes that don’t conflict with “mandatory courses or extracurricular activities,” and that all LifeWise staff and volunteers are subject to background checks via the agency ProScreening when they’re hired and every three years following. LifeWise also has “appropriate employer, liability, auto, and property insurance coverage which extends to each of our programs,” the website says.

Czernewjewski, the public relations representative for LifeWise, also responded to questions about allegations that LifeWise contributes to a distracting or unhealthy learning environment for other students.

“LifeWise welcomes all kids and families and instills values in children like acceptance, respect and love,” she wrote. “No child should be bullied or ostracized, whether they attend LifeWise or not.

“Like many other student groups or programs, LifeWise occasionally gives out worksheets or candy. The impact of LifeWise has been overwhelmingly positive, with kids being more cooperative, engaged and better behaved.”

What do LifeWise programs look like?

LifeWise launched a program for students at Emerson Elementary School in Everett earlier this year. The Everett Herald reported in April that a red bus visited the school every Tuesday and Wednesday to take children to a church nearby, where they participated in Bible classes during recess and lunch. The program for Emerson students launched Jan. 15 and was the first LifeWise program in the Puget Sound region, The Everett Herald reported. The LifeWise website says that it serves Emerson Elementary students in kindergarten through 5th grade.

Czernewjewski wrote via email that “LifeWise programs typically take place during the lunch hour or elective time. We provide transportation so there’s no disruption to the school day.”

“It’s a great option for busy families who are often juggling multiple activities, jobs and schedules,” she continued. “Many parents want their kids to have Bible-based character education as part of the school day, because they find that it improves their child’s academic performance and their behavior, both in and out of the classroom.”

The LifeWise website says that “The length of time and number of days per week students attend LifeWise varies from program to program. Each LifeWise program works with the school it serves to find the best rotation schedule for their situation.”

Asked what position the district would take if LifeWise reached out and asked to coordinate scheduling of off-site classes, Ashley Murphy, the district’s chief of finance and operations, said in a phone call Thursday that the district is constrained by state law to provide a certain amount of seated lunch time, recess and instructional minutes.

“We encourage kids to be in school all day, the whole time, and we encourage attendance,” Michael Farmer, Chief of Schools, said. “So we wouldn’t be working with them on that.”

Asked if the district has an attendance policy limiting the amount of time a student can spend on an activity outside of school, during school hours, Murphy said no such policy exists because state law determines that things like religious activities and medical appointments are excused absences. The district does have attendance policies to address truancy or unexcused absences, per state law, she said.

In a statement to The News Tribune Wednesday, the district cited two board procedures in addition to their religious-related activities policy relevant to their treatment of LifeWise. Board Procedure 3124P states that students must have a parent or guardian’s written permission before entering another person’s custody. Board Procedure 4060P states that the district will not distribute materials that “proselytize or disparage religious beliefs.”

What have communications between the district and LifeWise looked like?

Czernejewski confirmed that LifeWise has communicated with district staff. “LifeWise team members and the district staff have communicated and all involved have been very clear in their desire to follow district policies and procedures regarding excusing students from school for participation in Released Time Religious Instruction,” she wrote.

The district’s statement to The News Tribune Wednesday noted that “It is untrue that PSD has met with or engaged with any groups to offer off-site religious instructional programs.” District leaders provided additional context in phone calls with the The News Tribune.

In January or February, LifeWise reached out to the district via email saying they wanted to send a flyer out to families, and “to put some of their content on our letterhead,” Murphy told The News Tribune. The district determined this would violate their policy for accepting flyers to send to families via their Peachjar communications system, and declined the request, she said.

About two or three weeks ago, the district noticed posts on social media about LifeWise and the Peninsula School District that gave the impression that LifeWise was a district program. The district requested those who had posted the information to either “rephrase that, or take the post down so that it didn’t appear that this was a district program,” Chief Academic Officer John Yellowlees said.

Murphy emphasized that district leaders are having no active, back-and-forth conversations with LifeWise about their programs.

LifeWise also reached out to principals at Discovery Elementary, Pioneer Elementary and Purdy Elementary, she said. The district has requested that LifeWise direct all future communication to Farmer, the Chief of Schools. Farmer said Thursday he has yet to hear from LifeWise.

Asked if LifeWise plans to expand to serve other schools in the Peninsula School District, Czernewjewski wrote that they “may pursue expanding in the future” but “those plans have not yet been solidified.”

The district also plans to develop “internal protocols and procedures in regards to how to deal with group requests” such as from LifeWise, Murphy said.

“Ultimately, what we want to ensure that we are doing is supporting academic instruction for all of our students during the course of their school day, and we’re here to support that,” Murphy said. “But we also do understand that an outside group, like LifeWise, they are also operating within their legal rights to do so, and that parents also have the legal rights to be able to check out their kids for, in all reality, anything that they see fit, medical appointments or religious instruction.

“And so if a parent checks out a student, regardless of whether or not it’s medical or really religious instruction, you know, they’re able to do so and the school district will support them in that,” she said. “But the school district itself is not entering into any type of agreement, partnership, active negotiation, anything like that, with the outside group.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with information from a public relations representative for LifeWise Academy.

This story was originally published August 22, 2025 at 10:09 AM.