Anti-Lifewise residents keep the heat on Revere board
by Sheldon Ocker
July 16 board of education meeting
Two dozen residents of the Revere community crowded into the small administration building boardroom to protest the board of education’s April decision to allow students to leave school to take religious training.
It has become the norm the past three months for parents of Revere students or Revere alumni to attend school board meetings to urge board members to rescind or radically alter the policy. The focal point of the resistance is Lifewise Academy, a culturally conservative-leaning Christian group – unaffiliated with any denomination – that is the beneficiary of the policy to allow kids to leave school for religious training.
If students leave school for religious instruction, it is Lifewise Bible classes they will attend. No other organization offers such instruction during school hours.
Former Bath Township trustee Becky Corbett was one of several people who addressed the board.
After describing herself as a big supporter of Revere schools, Corbett said, “But I am losing faith in this school system,” and that she is “very concerned about the conflict of government and religion.”
In regard to Lifewise, she said, “I am not saying that this group is bad. I’m not saying it’s good. We don’t know the particulars about it. … If you look through history in Europe, terrible things happened that started off on a good foot.”
Corbett said that Lifewise does not make its curriculum available. It has been reported in several media outlets that an Indiana parent is being sued for copyright infringement by Lifewise because he procured the curriculum without Lifewise’s permission and has distributed it to other interested parents.
“You can’t get the actual curriculum that is being taught,” Corbett said. “That’s very concerning to me.”
Bath resident Travis Singer, who addressed the board at an earlier meeting, said he prefers the board rescind the policy, but as a compromise, the board could declare every class to be part of the core curriculum, leaving only lunch period or study hall available for students to miss. Under Ohio law, students cannot miss courses such as English, history, math, foreign languages and science to attend off-campus religious training.
“Given the makeup of the current board, I don’t think that [rescinding the policy] is going to happen,” Singer said.
Resident Bill Weber felt the board has not communicated well.
“We’ve been here for four meetings, and no one has said a word back from you guys,” he said. “It’s really concerning. You’re voter-elected, and you’re not acting that way.”
A couple of community members corrected Weber, saying there have been private conversations with some board members.
Board President Keith Malick said that complaints about the policy are not being ignored.
“A lot can happen here in the district before we start back in the fall,” he said. “I anticipate that this is a topic that’s going to be vetted by him [new Superintendent Dave White] and his staff, and the board will get information. When the time comes, there will be an agenda item … and you will have the opportunity to have a discussion with us so we can figure this out.”
Malick took note that there are at least two sides to the issue.
“There are other members of our community who don’t have the same opinion as you do,” he said. “We represent all of our constituents.”
Malick stressed that the board is listening.
“I’m sorry that you don’t feel like you’ve been heard,” he said. “We’re just not responding right now because we’re still vetting this process. …There’s a good chance – and I’m not going to speak for everybody else – but there’s a good chance this does get amended or modified.”
Money counting
Treasurer Rick Berdine briefly summarized the district’s financial position in regard to his five-year forecast and the end of the fiscal year, June 30.
“We ended up about $500,000 favorably to the five-year forecast, a little bit of variance on the revenue side, mostly due to interest, some on the tax collections, and then some non-usage of budgetary amounts, which happens each year.”
Donations
Jeff and Robin Ferrara of Faulhaber Funeral Home gave $2,391 to buy T-shirts for the Revere High football team. Faulhaber Funeral Home, in a grant from the Funeral Directors Life Insurance Company, donated $2,646 to the Revere High football team, to be used at the discretion of the head coach. ∞