NEW HANOVER COUNTY — A memorandum of understanding with a Christian Bible study program could soon be on the desks of the New Hanover County school board, though details on who exactly is behind the push for partnership remains unclear.
LifeWise is a nonprofit organization that provides Christian curriculum to local community groups looking to start a LifeWise chapter.
If a partnership agreement was signed with NHCS, elementary students whose parents opt in to the program would be transported once a week off-campus for 30-minute Bible study during an elective period. This would be at no cost to the parents or district.
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“I have checked the general statute, and it is allowable, so long as the board understands that this is a curriculum,” Superintendent Chris Barnes said at the board’s Feb. 24 meeting. “It’s not a random fly-by-night thing.”
Superintendent Chris Barnes said he was contacted by “an organizer” with LifeWise, though didn’t name them. However, district representative Anita Baggie told Port City Daily an interested parent and NHCS board member Pat Bradford shared contact information with Barnes and a LifeWise representative.
“After speaking with the representative, Dr. Barnes passed the information along to the board,” Baggie said.
The board voted unanimously to instruct Barnes to draft a MOU with LifeWise; it will come back to the board for a final vote.
Though the First Amendment bars governments from promoting a religion, the 1952 Supreme Court decision Zorach v. Clauson found that allowing public school students to leave school for part of the day to receive off-site religious instruction did not violate the Constitution. The case mandated the program must be held off school premises, barred any government funds from being used for the program, and required the program to gain parental permission.
There are several companies and nonprofits that take advantage of this ruling, with LifeWise Academy in the process of a launch at Onslow County Schools.
Board member David Perry questioned the purpose of the program.
“I took classes in the Bible at a college level; I have a minor in Biblical studies,” he said. So I know what that looks like, but it’s a little bit different than a Bible study.”
Board member Pat Bradford said more information could be found on the LifeWise website, which states the curriculum uses teachings from The Gospel Project, a “Christ-centered, chronological Bible studies” program designed for all ages. Each LifeWise lesson includes review of a Bible passage and a “Living LifeWise character trait,” focusing on three areas:
- Head: Knowing and understanding what the Bible says
- Heart: How the Bible story connects to the big picture of the gospel
- Hands: How students can actionize the lesson they learn
Though LifeWise Academy provides the Bible study framework, a local group or church must take on starting and running the program. It’s unclear what church would be a partner if NHCS moves forward with the program.
The LifeWise website lists the first step as gaining 50 signatures signifying community interest then fundraising, with LifeWise suggesting a $500 goal. Next, a steering committee should be formed of three to nine people from at least three or more churches; from there, the committee should draft a plan to present to school officials.
After permission is granted, the committee should identify a program director and volunteer board to receive LifeWise training before starting the program.
NHCS representative Anita Baggie told Port City Daily she is “unsure who initiated the contact” between NHCS and LifeWise and NHCS leadership doesn’t have “any other details about involvement from additional community organizations.”
However, she said an interested parent and NHCS board member Bradford shared contact information with Barnes and a LifeWise representative.
“After speaking with the representative, Dr. Barnes passed the information along to the board,” Baggie said.
Port City Daily asked Bradford Thursday if she could confirm she and a parent — whom NHCS refused to name — connected Barnes to LifeWise and how she came to know about the program.
Bradford said she “did not” connect Barnes to the program.
“I may have forwarded an all board group email request or infomercial to the super or provided his [number],” Bradford said, adding she did not discuss the matter further with him until the agenda review meeting on Feb. 24.
When Port City Daily asked Bradford to confirm the whole board received the email, Bradford said she’d have to think about it more and indicated her schedule would not allow her to respond immediately.
According to board member Tim Merrick, the school board did not receive a group email from LifeWise and the item was presented at the agenda review like it was “dropped in [the superintendent’s] lap.”
Port City Daily also reached out to LifeWise to inquire whether an employee initiated the exploration of a partnership with NHCS but did not receive a response by press.
Though unnamed by the district representative, Barnes said at the meeting he spoke with “the organizer” of the LifeWise program, though when Port City Daily reached out to ask who this was, Barnes did not respond.
“I told her that I would need to have this be an MOU officially with the board, simply because that’s the way we do our business here,” Barnes said at the agenda review.
The superintendent preferred to gauge board interest in developing an MOU to review before he spent time on the effort. Barnes added he had one stipulation: if LifeWise is to conduct its operations with NHCS students, other faith-based programs would also be able to request an MOU to do the same thing.
“This door is either open or it’s closed,” he said.
Both Merrick and board member Judy Justice expressed concern over LifeWise operating during school hours. Justice noted if more organizations came forward and requested it as well, accommodating all would get “very confusing” and “counterproductive.”
“I’m all in favor of additional education, even Bible study … it would need to be after school because I think the disruption of taking a child out of class and bringing them back to class, it just breaks the consistency,” Merrick said. “I think it’s a slippery slope when we start taking time out of our school day or outside curriculum.”
Board chair Pete Wildeboer noted a logistical concern and questioned what school employees would be tasked with, per unloading and loading the students onto buses. Barnes replied that component would still need to be figured out.
Despite the board’s early concerns, the motion to have the superintendent bring back an MOU passed unanimously.
[Ed. Note: A previous version of this article stated D.C. Virgo has a LifeWise program; it does not, but a petition has been started to begin one. It has one signature. PCD regrets the error.]
Reach journalist Brenna Flanagan at [email protected].
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