By HOLLY GASKILL
A local LifeWise Academy committee petitioned the Southern Wells Community School Board for a religious instruction policy during their Tuesday meeting.
The group cited a 1952 United States Supreme Court decision that gives schools permission for this. In the case Zorach vs. Clauson, SCOTUS permitted schools “release time” during the day for religious instruction as long as the instruction was off-campus and did not take school funding.
LifeWise wishes to start a program at SWCS, but a local policy has to be approved first.
In response, the school board asked for example policies in the region and said they would consider everything. Interim Superintendant Steve Darnell advised that, given the transition of the board and the superintendent’s office, the board should consider how forming a potential policy would be taken over by other people.
Locally, Northern Wells Community Schools approved a religious instruction policy in May and plans to begin implementing it in January 2023. Another LifeWise committee is currently pursuing a similar policy in the Bluffton-Harrison Metropolitan School District.
While LifeWise hopes to start a program for Southern Wells students, implementing a religious instruction policy would technically allow any religious organization to host instruction programs.
The LifeWise curriculum would be nondenominational Christian lessons, potentially hosted at Southern Wells Community Church. Liz Hultz, LifeWise launch coach, said the curriculum would not focus on theology.
Don Swartz, who represented the local committee, said they would hope to serve 2nd or 3rd-grade students in a rotating instruction period multiple times per week. Depending on how many students signed up, the committee would fundraise between $30,000-$70,000 for teachers. Swartz said 177 people have currently expressed interest in the program.
Joy Bricker — a committee member, local pastor and Southern Wells parent — also spoke in support of introducing the instruction policy.
“Please know this is not meant to be any type of demand,” Bricker said. “We believe this is an opportunity to come alongside the school and help to invest in the lives of our students, our public educators, our heroes … We simply want to join them in the fight for our children’s mental health, character development and academic performance.”
Swartz said the group hopes to move forward with the policy to begin teaching students next school year.
holly@news-banner.com
