GOP bill would give Kentucky school boards no choice in approving religious instruction

A House bill filed this week by a Republican lawmaker would require Kentucky public schools to allow outside moral instruction groups to give religious instruction to students during class time. 

House Bill 829, sponsored by Rep. Shane Baker, of Somerset, would make changes to a law passed by the GOP-controlled General Assembly last year that permits school boards to consider requests from such groups. 

The law enacted last year says school boards “may” approve proposals for “moral instruction” that meet certain specified requirements; this year’s bill says schools boards “shall” approve proposals that meet the requirements.

Ohio-based LifeWise Academy, which teaches public school students about the Bible, submitted requests to several Kentucky school boards with varying outcomes since the 2025 law was passed. 

If approved, Baker’s bill would require school boards to allow moral instruction programs to students if they meet requirements such as having a transportation plan and proof of insurance. The bill would also expand the time moral instruction would be offered to students from “up to” an hour to “at least” an hour. 

The program could also take place on school campuses, if school boards allow “equal access to the use of school property by public members of the community.” The current law requires students be transported off campus for the classes. 

Additionally, the Kentucky attorney general’s office may file civil lawsuits against school boards that do not comply with the measure. 

Baker said via a spokesperson that the bill “streamlines the process for approval” for moral instruction programs like LifeWise in schools. 

HB 829 was filed Tuesday and had not been assigned a committee as of Wednesday morning. Rep. Jason Petrie, R-Elkton, chair of the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee, is a co-sponsor.

The chair of the Oldham County Board of Education, one of the school boards that rejected a request from LifeWise Academy, previously said she voted against the proposal because of concerns about logistics with LifeWise picking up and dropping students off at school multiple times a day. 

Meanwhile, the McCracken County Board of Education approved a similar request for an intermediate school in its district. The Paducah Sun reported in September one board member cited the program’s operation in another county, Marshall County Schools, which has had the program since 2023. 

One group of Oldham County residents, Kentucky Citizens for Democracy, vocally opposed the LifeWise request there last fall. The group issued a statement opposing the bill Tuesday night, saying it is part of a “growing effort to embed religious instruction programs into the daily structure of public education.” 

“While these programs are often described as voluntary, real-world experience in districts across the country shows they frequently create division among students, disrupt the school day, and place pressure on children who choose not to participate,” the citizens group said. 

“Public schools exist to serve every child in the community regardless of religion or belief. Programs that separate students for religious instruction during the school day risk undermining that shared civic mission.”

According to its statement of faith online, LifeWise “maintains a high view of the authority of Scripture and we align ourselves with historic, orthodox Christian beliefs as expressed in the Nicene Creed.” 

Last year, Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a law requiring school districts to create a religious instruction release time policy. The law had previously allowed school boards to decide policies around letting children attend religious instruction during the school day. Throughout 2025, LifeWise rapidly expanded in Ohio schools.