Arkansas parents are using a decades-old Supreme Court ruling to pull their kids out of public school classrooms for Bible-based character education, proving that when given the choice, families reject the secular state's woke indoctrination.
The establishment wants your kids locked in a classroom learning their progressive dogma or glued to a screen. But Americans are fighting back. In Arkansas, the LifeWise Academy is expanding "released time" religious study programs, and the demand is overwhelming. Meanwhile, in Virginia Beach, a new nonprofit is pulling kids off screens and into the ocean. The common thread? Parents are opting out of the failing institutional default and taking back their children's formation.
LifeWise Academy, an Ohio-based nonprofit, operates under a 74-year-old Supreme Court decision that allows students to be released during the school day for privately funded, off-site religious instruction. It is a constitutional right, and Arkansas parents are exercising it. Students leave campus to visit local churches for Bible lessons. As LifeWise spokeswoman Christine Czernejewski put it, "Parents -- not schools -- decide whether to enroll their children."
But the secular machine isn't happy, and the lines between church and state can get fuzzy in practice. Arkansas Online reported that in the Prairie Grove School District, a student was confused when a teacher, Caitlin Altman, assigned them to the program because they hadn't picked an elective. "So since you didnt pick your (elective) stuff for this week, I had to stick you in a class that has room for you. Sorry!" Altman wrote. Superintendent Luke Humphreys admitted that "sending a non-participating student to LifeWise would not have been permitted."
Despite the establishment's concerns, many school officials are thrilled to see faith return. Principal Christy Norwood emailed a local director about getting pastors involved, writing, "We have parents slowly finding out and reaching out- YEA!!!!" Some parents, like Lisa Bergren, argue the program inappropriately pushes religion, but the opt-in nature of the program means the choice belongs to the family, not the state.
This revolt against the institutional default isn't just happening in schools. In Virginia Beach, parents are opting their kids out of the screen-addicted, social media-damaged generation. Homebuilder Steve Bishard founded Waves of Renewal to get kids offline and into the ocean. "What we’re trying to do is offer — and not be forceful — but offer an open door, a loving invitation to another way to live your life as a young person," Bishard said. The free surf sessions replace anxiety with saltwater. As one student testified, "This is much better surfing than playing video games all day."
The secular state and Big Tech will keep pushing their agenda, but the Constitution gives parents the power to opt out. The only question is how long the establishment will tolerate families choosing faith and freedom over indoctrination and screens.
