Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Parents, clergy and advocates clash over LifeWise release‑time program at Oldham County school board meeting
Summary
Dozens of speakers urged the Oldham County Board of Education either to approve or to block LifeWise Academy's request for release‑time, off‑campus religious instruction during the school day; no formal board vote on the program occurred at the meeting.
Dozens of Oldham County residents urged the school board on Aug. 25 either to block or to allow LifeWise Academy to provide off‑campus “release‑time” religious instruction for students during the school day, part of a lengthy public‑comment period that produced sharply divided testimony.
The debate centered on whether parents should be allowed to enroll children in a privately funded, off‑campus program during school hours and whether the district should permit such programs in its schools. “The proposal carries real and lasting implications for our public schools,” said John Sutton, vice president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State in Kentucky, adding that release‑time inside the school day “blurs the line between public education and religious indoctrination.”
Supporters of LifeWise, including Jenny Bergen, a member of the local committee working to bring the program to Oldham County, said the program is voluntary, privately funded and will operate off campus with background‑checked…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
