LifeWise Academy, which was launched in 2019, offers weekly Bible classes to public school students during school hours that are scheduled to coincide with either lunch, library, or other noncore courses.
The students are transported off-campus via bus to attend the Bible sessions, which are permitted thanks to a US Supreme Court ruling that allows religious instruction to be taught during school hours as long as it's off-campus, privately funded, and students have parental permission.
Penton told Posobiec that while both the Bible and prayer had been systematically removed from public schools long ago, "a window of opportunity was opened in 1952" after the "Supreme Court ruled that public school students can, in fact, be released from public school during school hours to receive religious instruction."
Penton explained that the SCOUTS ruling has flown under the radar for the past 70 years, so when he was made aware of it in 2019, he decided to take advantage of the opportunity and created LifeWise Academy, which he says has been wildly successful.
LifeWise Academy is currently in about 300 schools across 13 states with thousands of students participating in the weekly sessions. Penton said the organization is rapidly expanding and revealed they are confirmed to be in 20 states next year, which will service 500 schools.
"That includes places where you wouldn't expect this to happen...We're confirmed in Los Angeles, California for next year. We're confirmed in Washington state," said Penton.
He went on to tout the success of the program, claiming that when his group is implemented in public schools, attendance climbs dramatically and suspensions decrease, among other positive behavioral improvements.
Posobiec responded, "This is amazing. This is what I'm talking about, people. A positive vision for how our future, our country should work."
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