We look forward to seeing how this program will impact our students and unite our Stanley-Boyd school district. Our community has already come together to make all this possible, and we’re confident this collaboration will continue as the program grows.”

Students interested in enrolling may do so at lifewise.org/boydareawi.

Faith Evangelical Free Church
705 Madison St.
Stanley, WI 54768
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lifewise press release.rtf

A free Bible-based character education program is due to launch Oct. 1, taking place within the Stanley-Boyd School District but independent of school district involvement.
Bible-based character instruction by LifeWise Academy will be held at Faith Evangelical Free Church on Wednesdays during Academic Support Development Time. The program will use private transportation to transport students from the school to the Faith Free.
Stanley-Boyd Superintendent Jeff Koenig clarified that the program was independent of the school district.
“I’m familiar with it, they talked with us,” he said of LifeWise Academy and offsite Bible instruction. “It’s not really anything to do with us.”
Open at present to students in grades K through 5 and made possible by a 73 year old Supreme Court ruling named Zorach v. Clauson, the program with LifeWise Academy will transport participating district students to Faith Free for Bible instruction, with parental permission. Ruled some 73 years ago, Zorach v. Clauson was decided 6 - 3 in reference to a New York court case involving released time, a practice allowing for students to receive offsite religious instruction with parent consent.
Zorach v. Clauson stated that released time did not violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, which otherwise prohibits an establishment
Following precedent then, students in Wisconsin and elsewhere can attend Bible education during school hours if this is:
1) off school property,
2) privately funded, and
3) parent permitted.
Within these parameters, such instruction is legal. Wisconsin specific law contained in Chapter 118.115 of the Wisconsin State Statutes allows for dismissal of between 60 to 180 minutes per week for religious instruction, with transportation provided by the sponsoring religious institution or parents. State law stipulates that students can be denied the privilege of released time if they absent themselves (turn truant) from such religious instruction after requesting the privilege.
So who or what is LifeWise Academy, provider of the instruction?
Company promotional materials at lifewise.org provide an answer.
LifeWise Academy is a company founded in 2019 by CEO Joel Penton and headquartered in Hilliard, Ohio. Lifewise works with local partners to provide offsite Bible education, during the school day, without promoting specific denominational views. The program set up to not interfere with children’s mandatory or extracurricular activities, with classes focused on what are deemed “core themes” of the Bible, emphasizing what it calls the “main and plain” elements agreed on by participating churches and emphasizing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Classes are taught using the Christian Standard Bible (CSB), created 20 years ago from a review and revision of the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) and emphasizing both linguistic precision and readability, per information at csbbible.com.
“This year it will be just K to 5 with hopes to expand to other grades in the future,” LifeWise Stanley-Boyd Director Kayla Herring said of the Bible-based character education classes. The classes are open to homeschool students as well, she said. Funded by members of the community, there is no cost to students.
Herring added thanks for those who had partnered with LifeWise.
“I also want to thank everyone who has partnered with LifeWise Academy Stanley-Boyd,” she said. “We could not provide this program to our students without your generous support.”
LifeWise Academy also runs signature petitions for those interested in bringing Lifewise to their community. Readers can learn more about Lifewise in Stanley by contacting the group via email at stanleyboydwi@lifewise.org, or on Facebook at LifeWise Stanley-Boyd WI.
“Thanks to our supportive community, we can offer LifeWise classes to Stanley-Boyd students in grades K–5,” said Herring. “We look forward to seeing how this program will impact our students and unite our Stanley-Boyd school district. Our community has already come together to make all this possible, and we’re confident this collaboration will continue as the program grows.”
Students interested in enrolling may do so at lifewise.org/boydareawi.