An Ohio-based Christian ministry that provides biblical education to public school students expects an estimated 30,000 children to be enrolled in the program this coming academic year.
LifeWise Academy, an organization launched in 2019 that provides released-time religious instruction for public school students, recently announced that more than 300 schools across 11 states will participate in the program.
In addition to Ohio, other states where the program will be offered include Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
LifeWise founder and CEO Joel Penton told The Christian Post that the program went from being in 133 public schools last year to around 315 this year.
Release-time programs involve students leaving campus during school hours to take part in religious instruction with the permission of parents and the school itself. The concept was outlined by the 1952 U.S. Supreme Court decision of Zorach v. Clauson, where the high court determined the practice was constitutional.
Under released time laws, students are released from public school during the school day to attend religious classes off school property as long as they are privately funded and have parental approval.