Riverside Local committee hears plan to pilot Lifewise release‑time instruction at Buckeye Elementary

Cardinal Programs Committee members heard a presentation about plans to pilot Lifewise, a release‑time religious instruction program, with a third‑grade cohort at Buckeye Elementary beginning this school year.

Tim Hack, who said he has stepped into the role of program director for Lifewise at Riverside, told the committee the pilot is scheduled to begin in November and will run one day a week during lunch/recess for one third‑grade class. "We are targeting that to start in November," Hack said. He said the program will meet off school property at the Church of the Brethren, a short walk from Buckeye, and that Lifewise will hire the teacher and recruit volunteers.

Hack described Lifewise as a national organization that launched in February 2019 and provides an established curriculum and operations model intended to make local implementation "plug and play." He said the organization requires, and will show the district, background checks for anyone working with students and carries its own insurance. "There is no insurance or liability on part of the district," Hack said, adding that the program is responsible for attendance records the district may view.

Committee members pressed on logistics and safeguards. A committee member raised safety and timing concerns for walking students to the off‑site location and whether lunch/recess would allow sufficient time. Hack responded that the walk takes about four and a half minutes and that cohorts would be scheduled on different days to avoid large groups moving at once. He also said Lifewise planned to provide umbrellas and make weather‑based decisions, and that volunteers and staff would undergo background checks.

On curriculum, Hack described Lifewise as "non‑denominational" and focused on what he called the baseline of the gospel; he said it is not intended to teach denominational differences. He also said multiple local churches had been involved in organizing the local steering committee and in supporting the program.

Committee members discussed parental notification and student records. District staff noted the district does not proactively send home program materials on the schools' behalf; participation will be by parental permission and any use of directory information would follow existing FERPA processes and district procedures for responding to records requests.

Hack and other speakers also referenced legal context. In explaining the release‑time concept, Hack referenced a 1952 U.S. Supreme Court decision permitting release‑time religious instruction under conditions such as parental permission, no cost to the district and off‑campus location. He said House Bill 8, passed by the state legislature and signed by the governor, has prompted districts to engage with release‑time providers and that Lifewise is presenting its program to meet local requirements. Committee members did not take a formal vote at the meeting; the item was presented for discussion and planning.

Practical details discussed at the meeting: - Pilot grade and timing: third grade at Buckeye, one day per week starting in November (presenters said this is the current target). - Location: off school property at Church of the Brethren near Buckeye; walking time reported at about 4½ minutes (presenters said 6–7 minutes is a realistic estimate for small children). - Staffing and safety: Lifewise will provide the classroom teacher and recruit volunteers; elementary classrooms were described as requiring a teacher plus roughly three volunteers. Background checks for adults will be required and visible to district staff. - Cost and liability: Presenters said the program carries its own insurance and will impose no cost on the district. - Scheduling and academics: Instruction will occur outside core academic time (during lunch/recess) so the district reported "no impact" on core instruction.

Committee members asked about equitable access and whether families of other faiths could set up comparable release‑time programs; presenters said Lifewise organizers would work with other faith communities if they wished to create comparable options. Committee members also sought clarity about transportation for schools that could not walk to an off‑site location; presenters said some congregations operate vans and that Lifewise would be responsible for raising funds for drivers and transportation if needed.

The presentation closed with committee members and staff agreeing to continue logistical planning and to return with further details; no formal district action was taken during the meeting.