Ohio Released-Time Religious Instruction & LifeWise Tracker

Can Ohio students leave school for Bible class?

Yes, when the statutory and local-policy conditions are met. ORC §3313.6022 covers religious instruction by private entities off district property; it does not designate LifeWise or a particular religion. A parent or guardian must give written consent. Core courses cannot be missed, transport is privately arranged and missed work remains the student’s responsibility.

Does every district have to adopt a policy? Yes. The current statute says the board shall adopt one and collaborate with sponsors on timing. That duty does not prove that a district has adopted compliant wording, selected a provider or started classes.

Search Ohio district policy and program evidence

Four detailed trackers and eleven research leads are shown. “Adopted” describes a policy, not verified operation. “Unknown” means this review did not establish the fact; it does not mean a program is absent or prohibited. Open a district’s details for standardized fields and the source limitation.

Download the district register (CSV) · Download structured district records (JSON)

Ohio law: mandatory rules and local choices

Authorities: §3313.6022(A)–(G) and §3313.6030. District policies are an additional layer; this comparison does not issue legal-compliance determinations.

Is Ohio LifeWise limited to two periods per week?

Two elementary/middle periods is the default maximum, not an unchangeable statewide cap. The January 19, 2026 version begins the limits with a district-policy exception. The law also requires authorization of at least one period per week. Westerville’s posted policy specifies one; Twinsburg’s posted October 2025 text specifies two, with a later revision still needing reconciliation. Current wording · HB 57 explanation.

Upper Arlington uses a once-per-week frequency limit rather than a fixed minute allowance. A “period,” a weekly visit, hours away and academic-credit units are different measures. Ask the school how the approved schedule accounts for travel and return time.

Ohio LifeWise high-school credit: time is not credit

The statute’s high-school scheduling formula and its optional credit-award authority are separate. A district may authorize up to two completed units after secular review; a student does not earn two units every week or receive automatic credit for enrollment. The review may examine instructional hours, syllabus, assessment and comparable instructor qualifications, without testing religious content or denomination. Divisions E and F.

Upper Arlington publishes a local credit provision. This edition did not locate a particular LifeWise course approval or transcript award there. Westerville and Twinsburg’s reviewed policy texts do not establish an equivalent local award procedure. Upper Arlington credit details.

What changed, and when?

Date discrepancy: the DEW summary prints January 18 for HB 57. The current code, legislative analysis and Secretary of State identify January 19; this tracker uses January 19. Agency PDF · Official effective-date register.

HB 57 also contains a limited monetary-damages provision addressing alleged violations between September 30, 2025 and January 19, 2026. It should not be read as a general immunity for all future conduct or as creating a private cause of action. LSC final analysis.

LifeWise and other providers: what the evidence supports

Ohio’s statute is provider-neutral. LifeWise is a private Bible-education provider, not the statutory name for all released time. Hilliard’s district flyer listing and provider form document outreach; Westerville has dated historical reporting of participation. This edition does not convert those records into current operating-school counts. Hilliard district record · Provider form · Historical Westerville reporting.

Other providers: The Satanic Temple’s 2024 recap describes HAIL (Hellion Academy of Independent Learning) as its released-time program and reports an Ohio launch. December 7, 2024 reporting places HAIL plans at Marysville’s Edgewood Elementary and also describes LifeWise activity. These are historical, attributed records—not a verified 2026 roster. Provider recap · Dated reporting. Current official arrangements remain unverified, so Marysville receives a research-table entry rather than a standalone operating-program tracker. A host-organization statement in New Albany likewise remains a lead rather than district approval.

Documents parents should request before release

1. Current adopted policy, revision date and school consent/release form.
2. Approved departure and return times, including travel, and confirmation that no protected class is missed.
3. Private transportation and supervision plan, sponsor liability arrangements and any locally required checks or insurance.
4. How attendance reaches the school and how missed work is assigned and completed.
5. If credit is sought, a written district course determination and transcript treatment.

The DEW summary separately explains federal reimbursement for qualifying school meals consumed during released-time instruction, subject to USDA standards. That meal guidance does not authorize public provision of the religious instruction itself. Agency guidance, pages 1–2.

Religious-expression days under §3320.04 are a separate attendance provision; do not substitute their day allowance for this recurring weekly framework.

Why four district pages, and what is held back?

Westerville and Upper Arlington have readable adopted policies with distinct parent-facing rules. Hilliard has a documented adoption vote and subsequent committee review, with final wording explicitly unresolved. Twinsburg provides a substantial posted policy and a later revision discrepancy that merits a dedicated version tracker. Westerville · Upper Arlington · Hilliard · Twinsburg.

Eleven other districts remain table entries until final policy, action or operational evidence is deep enough for a useful standalone page. A first reading, an image-only attachment awaiting reconciliation or an old permission form does not justify calling a new program active.

Frequently asked questions

Source and document library

Research baseline: October 7, 2026. Source type and document vintage are shown below. A provider statement, agenda and final adopted policy establish different facts.

1. The Satanic Temple — 2024 program recap

   Primary provider statement — historical. Provider describes HAIL as its released-time program and reports Ohio and Tennessee launches in its 2024 recap. This is attributed provider history, not verification of October 2026 district operation.

2. Marysville HAIL plans — December 7, 2024

   Dated secondary reporting. Reports HAIL plans involving Edgewood Elementary and identifies existing LifeWise activity. Used for historical context only; no current school roster or district agreement is inferred.

3. Ohio Revised Code §3313.6022 — current law

   Current Ohio statute. Effective January 19, 2026, HB 57. Divisions A–G verified against the live official code on October 7, 2026.

4. Ohio Revised Code §3313.6030 — criminal records checks

   Current Ohio statute. Effective April 9, 2025. Permits district policies to require sponsor instructor/volunteer checks and determine their manner.

5. §3313.6022 — September 30, 2025 version

   Historical statute. HB 96 version before HB 57 added the district-policy exception to default time limits. Not the current rule.

6. Ohio Legislative Service Commission — HB 57 final analysis

   Official enacted-bill analysis. Explains district flexibility in weekly limits and the limited damages provision for September 30, 2025 through January 19, 2026.

7. Ohio Secretary of State — laws of the current session

   Official enactment and effective-date register. HB 57 identifies January 19, 2026 as the effective date.

8. Ohio DEW — Released Time Course Requirements, 2025

   Official agency summary. Two pages. Describes implementation, materials, screening and school meals. Its January 18 date conflicts with the code/Legislature/Secretary of State; this tracker uses January 19.

9. Ohio Revised Code §3320.04 — religious expression days

   Separate Ohio attendance provision. Different statutory arrangement from recurring released-time instruction; do not combine its day allowance with §3313.6022.

10. Westerville Policy 5223 — released time

    District-linked adopted policy manual. Adopted April 7, 2025; revised September 22, 2025. Live manual text retrieved October 7, 2026; index updated August 24, 2026.

11. Westerville Board of Education — policy adoption

    Official district policy index. Entry point for current policy and later board actions.

12. Westerville religious-release discussion — September 30, 2024

    Dated secondary reporting. Documents LifeWise participation before the 2024 policy dispute; used only as historical activity context, never as a 2026 roster or final vote record.

13. Upper Arlington Policy 5223 — released time

    District-linked adopted policy manual. Adopted May 10, 2016; revised May 13 and December 9, 2025. Live text retrieved October 7, 2026. Manual index updated August 31, 2026.

14. Upper Arlington board update — April 8, 2025

    Official board-action summary. Identifies a first reading of Policy 5223. A first reading alone does not establish adoption.

15. Hilliard minutes — November 24, 2025

    Official board minutes. Resolution 141-25 includes JEFB in a policy package approved 5–0; this is the package vote, not a separate JEFB roll call.

16. Hilliard Policy Review Committee — January 15, 2026

    Official committee packet. Lists JEFB as readopted November 24, 2025 and discusses HB 57 flexibility. A committee recommendation is not another board adoption.

17. Hilliard policy recommendations — October 27, 2025 first reading

    Official proposed-policy packet. Draft JEFB describes one period per week and screening. Final adopted consolidated text could not be retrieved; draft details are not labeled current local rules.

18. Hilliard — information for sponsoring organizations

    Official district procedure notice. Directs organizations to Policy JEFB and the district office for proposals; this notice does not reproduce all adopted rules.

19. Hilliard Flyer Connections — Hoffman Trails Elementary

    Official district community-flyer listing. At review, listed LifeWise Academy Hilliard’s 5K + 1 Miler flyer expiring October 9, 2026. Flyer distribution establishes a local organizational presence, not school participation or instruction attendance.

20. LifeWise Academy — Hilliard permission form

    Provider enrollment material. Names Hilliard City Schools. Evidence of provider enrollment outreach only, not district approval, school roster or verified operation.

21. Twinsburg Policy 5223 — posted policy text

    District-linked policy manual with version gap. Text shows adoption April 16, 2025 and revision October 8, 2025. A later March 18, 2026 second-reading record exists. This posted text is not certified here as the final March version.

22. Twinsburg minutes — March 18, 2026, resolution 03182026-I2

    Official minutes indexed in search; original link unavailable on direct retrieval. Indexed official minutes identify approval of the second reading of revised Policy 5223. Direct old-site PDF retrieval returned 404 after the site migration; the precise final revised text and roll call remain unverified.

23. Twinsburg Board of Education

    Official district index. Current navigation links the Neola policy manual; use this index if an old Downloads link has moved.

24. Worthington policy reference information

    Official board index. Current final released-time policy and subsequent amendments remain a research need.

25. Columbus City Schools policies

    Official district policy index. High-value research lead; current final released-time text and any later changes to materials rules were not verified.

26. Dublin form 5223 F1 — permission and liability

    Official district-linked form. Form marked New 8/2/23 remains linked on the district’s forms page. Annual consent, transport, core-course protection and missed work are described; a form is not the latest adopted policy.

27. Marysville Board of Education

    Official board and policy index. Current released-time text and provider arrangements, including non-LifeWise activity reported previously, need direct-record verification.

28. Norton 2025 agendas and policy attachments

    Official board archive. Several JEFB versions and November 17 records located. Final adopted text/date must be reconciled; the latest attachment is an image-only PDF.

29. Van Wert minutes — November 19, 2025

    Official board minutes. Indexed record includes Policy 5223 in resolution 25.11.061. Full final policy and current provider details remain unverified.

30. Westlake minutes — October 27, 2025

    Official board minutes. Policy 5223 revision record located; current consolidated text and provider operation remain unverified.

31. Johnstown-Monroe signed minutes — December 18, 2025

    Official board minutes. Resolution 25-12-256 identifies second reading/authorization of a policy package including 5223; final policy text still needed.

32. Athens signed minutes — March 19, 2026

    Official board minutes. First-reading evidence for Policy 5223. Not evidence of final adoption.

33. New Albany Presbyterian — LifeWise Academy

    Primary host-organization statement. Local provider/host activity lead. Does not establish New Albany-Plain Local board policy or official school participation.

34. Lexington September 2025 regular meeting

    Official minutes page. Policy 5223 appears in the record; final text and implementation details not established by this review.

35. WOSU — Worthington and Westerville policy changes, April 7, 2025

    Secondary reporting lead. Reports Worthington restoration March 10, 2025; describes Westerville’s then-upcoming vote. Current Worthington final text not verified.

Update log and next records

October 7, 2026 — Initial Phase 10 Ohio edition. Published source-linked findings with separate labels for law, policy, provider agreements, announced launches and activity. Next review: newly enacted amendments, remaining state classifications, local adopted policies and documented launch outcomes.

Updates require a dated source and a stated change in status. No automatic monitoring schedule is active. Submit a documented correction · Editorial standards.

Explore the released-time network

National laws and research register · Ohio law and district status · North Carolina law and district status · Texas SB 1049 and district status · Bedford County, Tennessee

Wake County · Cumberland County / Fayetteville · Edenton-Chowan · Bladen County / Bladenboro · Texarkana ISD · Plano ISD · Houston ISD · Westerville · Upper Arlington · Hilliard · Twinsburg