Religious education programs serving public school students during school hours aren°®¶¹appt new to northeast Indiana, but the concept has encountered legal challenges.
LifeWise Academy °®¶¹app whose Bible education services are gaining interest in the region °®¶¹app diligently works to adhere to the laws and policies that make its religious education programs possible, said Ben Ruprecht, a regional representative. That means ensuring programs are privately funded, are held off school property and serve students with parental consent.
°®¶¹appThat°®¶¹apps where we°®¶¹appre going to live, always,°®¶¹app he said.
Concerns about such issues were brought forward in lawsuits against at least two area school districts within the last two decades.
The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Huntington County Community School Corporation in federal court 15 years ago on behalf of an unnamed parent over a religious release-time education program.
Known as °®¶¹appBy the Book Weekday Religious Instruction,°®¶¹app the voluntary program was offered through the Associated Churches of Huntington, but its modular trailer sat on Horace Mann Elementary School property. Classes met weekly.
The lawsuit alleged the program violated the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution by allowing religious instruction on school property. The district agreed to remove Bible trailers from school grounds about 10 months later.
A weekly religious educational program named By the Book is active in Huntington County. Its Facebook account shares snapshots of its activities, including students participating in classes as recently as late October. The group did not return a social media message seeking information, and other contact information couldn°®¶¹appt immediately be found.
Associated Churches of Fort Wayne and Allen County operated a similar program, Weekday Religious Education. It was in Fort Wayne Community Schools for more than 60 years and in East Allen County Schools for 20.
FWCS faced a lawsuit over the program in June 2010. The ACLU of Indiana sued on behalf of an unnamed Haley Elementary School student and her parents.
The lawsuit alleged the religious education program°®¶¹apps trailer sat on school property and received electricity from a power source on school property. Court documents indicated it was uncertain whether the program reimbursed FWCS for the electricity used.
The lawsuit asked a judge to prevent FWCS from allowing the religious education program to continue on school property during the school day. It also asked to prevent district officials and teachers from sending the girl to the program without the explicit written permission of her parents.
FWCS officials voted that summer to end the program.
Associated Churches of Fort Wayne & Allen County developed a replacement ministry, Rising Stars. It continues today, although FWCS spokeswoman Krista Stockman noted Rising Stars isn°®¶¹appt a religious education program. It instead works with schools in various ways, such as by providing tutoring or helping with specific programs.
