LifeWise Academy's Grangeville Program Appears to Violate Idaho RTRI Statute
Idaho law restricts RTRI to high school students. So why is LifeWise Grangeville serving children in grades 2–5 and preparing to expand through grade 8 next school year?
LifeWise Academy frequently speaks of what makes Released Time for Religious Instruction (RTRI) legal — off school property, parent-permitted, and privately funded — but, LifeWise never addresses staying compliant with state-level RTRI laws in its public messaging.
Local program LifeWise Grangeville opens in Idaho
In November 2025, the local LifeWise program serving Grangeville in Northwest Idaho announced enrollment was open for students of Grangeville Elementary Middle School (GEMS) of Mountain View School District in January 2026:
“We are excited to announce that enrollment is open and classes will start January 5th, 2026 for grades 2-5 when school resumes after the Christmas and New Year’s Holidays!”
Mountain View does not appear to have an RTRI policy.
After its second week of operating at Grangeville Community Church, local LifeWise director Fred Stevens announced that student enrollment more than doubled, from 8 to 19 students.
By May 2026, Stevens announced that LifeWise Grangeville was expanding into grades six to eight the next school year:
“As the year winds down, we have class parties next Tuesday. Thank you for the wonderful privilege and joy of launching Bible-based Character education for your students at GEMS! We look forward to expanding into 6-8th grades next year!”
Idaho law prohibits elementary and middle school RTRI
While Zorach v. Clauson (1952) gave a national legal framework to RTRI, states are also free to craft their RTRI statutes.
Idaho — a “may” state where public schools retain home rule to approve or decline RTRI operations — has enacted its own RTRI law limiting religious education programming to high schoolers:
“Upon application of his parent or guardian, or, if the student has attained the age of eighteen (18) years, upon application of the student, a student attending a public school in grades nine (9) through twelve (12) may be excused from school for a period not exceeding five (5) periods in any week or not exceeding one hundred sixty-five (165) hours per student during any one (1) school year for religious or other purposes.”
The website Released Time Religious Education run by School Ministries states that Idaho elementary school students may attend RTRI using Oregon’s RTRI statute (§ 339.420):
“Upon application of the parent or guardian of the child, or, if the child has attained the age of majority, upon application of the child, a child attending the public school may be excused from school for periods not exceeding two hours in any week for elementary pupils and five hours in any week for secondary pupils to attend weekday schools giving instruction in religion.”
LifeWise Grangeville ignores Idaho RTRI legal requirements
While establishing LifeWise Grangeville, its staff did not appear to address the legality of RTRI under Idaho law.
In December 2025, teacher Stephanie Bradley Brandt gave a presentation in which Idaho’s grade-level RTRI restrictions were not addressed.
On the LifeWise website, the Grangeville program lists it serves GEMS students in second, third, fourth, and fifth grades.
In April 2026, Stevens shared a LifeWise Facebook post showing a visual timeline of the programs’ national expansion; in a comment Stevens addressed the legality of RTRI without touching up on Idaho’s own RTRI statute:
“The comments on this paid promotional ad reveal that there is still a lot of confusion about released time education.
This is privately funded, off school property and parents must give permission for their children to participate.
LifeWise meets these criteria and is legal according to Zorach vs Clauson, a 1952 Supreme Court ruling.
Grangeville has a program for 2-5 grades and we plan to expand into 6-8 grades next year.
Please reach out of you have any questions!”
Will LifeWise Grangeville continue to operate illegally?
Many questions are left unanswered:
How did LifeWise Corporate allow LifeWise Grangeville to launch despite operating outside Idaho’s statute limiting RTRI to high school students?
Does LifeWise Academy Corporate leadership educate local program staff to follow their own state’s RTRI statutes?
How did the LifeWise Grangeville program get approved despite violating Idaho’s RTRI law?
LifeWise already has a history of legal threats against public schools
LifeWise’s counsel, First Liberty, has threatened legal action if a district prohibits candy and trinkets from being sent back to school with returning LifeWise students.
Alleging First Amendment violations, LifeWise is in active litigation against Everett Public Schools in Everett, Washington.
When will LifeWise Academy hold itself to the same legal standards it demands of other?
Before LifeWise demands compliance from school districts, it must answer a more fundamental question: why does it appear willing to ignore the very state laws that authorize its existence?