A Bible-based education program that allows public-school students to leave campus during the school day for religious instruction is expanding across parts of the Pacific Northwest, adding new communities to a model that has grown rapidly in several states.
Religion News Service reported on August 26 that LifeWise Academy is now operating in 14 schools in Washington, with teams working to establish programs in 26 additional school districts. The organization uses what is commonly called “released time” religious instruction: students leave school property with parental permission and receive Bible lessons at an off-campus location.
Released-time programs are not the same as Bible classes taught by public schools. The instruction is provided by a private religious organization, participation is voluntary, and the classes take place away from public-school property. Students generally attend during periods that do not remove them from required academic instruction.
LifeWise says its curriculum is open to students regardless of religious background and is funded privately rather than by public schools. Supporters argue that the model protects parents’ ability to direct the religious education of their children while remaining within constitutional limits.
Critics argue that the programs can blur the line between public education and religious activity, particularly when transportation, scheduling and school communication make the religious program appear closely integrated with the school day. Supporters respond that the arrangement is lawful precisely because the instruction is voluntary, privately funded and off campus.
The growth of these programs is therefore becoming part of a broader national debate over parental rights, religious liberty and the proper relationship between public institutions and religious organizations.
This story fits the U.S. category because it concerns a domestic education model that could expand significantly if additional districts approve participation. It also directly affects Christian families and churches because released-time programs create a new avenue for religious instruction during the school week without converting public schools themselves into religious institutions.
The key question is not whether every school should adopt the model, but how rapidly it is growing, how courts and state legislatures respond, and whether similar programs become a durable part of American public-school life.
Religion News Service — Christian program LifeWise expands across Northwest schools, raising church-state questions. August 26, 2026.
