LifeWise Academy brings Bible classes to Rochester Schools

Students at Riddle Elementary School will soon have an opportunity to participate in a Bible study class once a week during their lunch and recess with LifeWise Academy. 

Set to launch in April, local director for LifeWise Academy, Whitney Yates, said although the program is taught during school hours, LifeWise is its own entity. LifeWise Academy is a nonprofit providing Bible-based character instruction to public school students during school hours under religious released time laws. 

The 1952 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Zurich v. Clauson determined that teaching the Bible during the public school day was constitutional and therefore legal in all 50 states, so long as the classes met three conditions. The conditions includes the program being held off school grounds, parental permission for children participating in the classes and that no government funds would be used to fund the program. 

Yates said she had discussed the plan of having LifeWise available to students at Rochester Community Schools with school board members in previous months and is currently working with Superintendent Jana Vance on schedules. 

“One thing we do not want to do is interrupt the kids routines. To ensure that we do it during the students lunch and recess time. All students participating must sign up for our program first and parent permission is required,” Yates said.

Classes will be taught off school grounds in a building next to the The Cross at 100 W. Third St in Rochester. A LifeWise bus will be used to transport students participating in the program. The children will have a Bible lesson as they eat their lunch and will learn about character traits such as gratitude, generosity, kindness or responsibility and how to incorporate these character traits into their day-to-day lives. 

Rochester isn't the only public schools in the area participating in Bible classes. Yates said Winamac established the program several years ago and eventually was able to secure its own building for classes. Getting a building of their own in Rochester remains a goal for the future, Yates said. Mentone Elementary announced it will also be participating in the program in the future. 

LifeWise CEO Joel Penton announced in a press release in January that LifeWise will serve a record number of students in 2025 and plans to serve more than 50,000 students across 29 states. 

“We couldn’t be more thrilled that tens of thousands of students will learn school day Bible lessons that will build their character and better equip them to handle life’s many challenges. LifeWise’s explosive growth is a testament to the increasing demand from parents and educators who want to integrate faith into the school day because they understand the tremendous benefits it has on students and families,” Penton said. 

Yates said their launch during April and May of this year will serve as a pretrial and will be available to second, third and fourth-grade students at Riddle Elementary School for now. Parents wanting their child to participate in the program must preregister with the school.