You can now view the LifeWise Bible curriculum for public school students — with a catch

LifeWise, the Hilliard-based organization that teaches public school children the Bible during school hours, has provided a way for the public to review its curriculum last month — but with a catch.

The catch is that if you want to view the curriculum, you can access a "read-only" version for 48 hours and must agree not to "copy, print, download, screenshot, share or distribute" the materials you view.

The decision to offer a limited-access viewing of the LifeWise curriculum comes after the organization sued Zachary Parrish, an Indiana man for copyright infringement in July after he became a LifeWise volunteer and downloaded and later disseminated the curriculum online, The Dispatch previously reported. Parrish, whose daughter attended Defiance City School District, also operates the Parents Against LifeWise Facebook group, which has nearly 5,500 members.

LifeWise said on social media on July 19 that it values the interest and feedback of the public, it has "found a solution that respects our licensing agreement while allowing private online review of our elementary curriculum."

In a reply to a Facebook user who asked if people who chose to view the curriculum would be sued, LifeWise said in reply that there were "three easy steps to avoid a lawsuit" including not stealing copyrighted intellectual property, posting "said stolen property to your website and share it publicly" and not replying that "you'll have to sue me" when sent a takedown notice.

More: What is LifeWise? What to know about the group teaching the Bible during school hours

In a statement, LifeWise CEO Joel Penton told The Dispatch that team "has developed a way to privately and temporarily share the files for review without violating our licensing agreement" with the publisher, LifeWay Christian resources.

"We believe in transparency, and have always encouraged families and communities to learn more about LifeWise and the positive impact of Bible-based character education," Penton said.

Penton said the update to curriculum access does not affect the lawsuit "because Parrish posted the materials publicly to be downloaded and replicated, which violates our licensing agreement and infringes on our copyright."

According to the LifeWise website, people seeking access to the curriculum must have an email that can accept Google Drive links, fill out a form with address and other personal information and consent not to distribute the information provided in the curriculum review. It also notes that "access requests are subject to review and denial."

The form for requesting the curriculum says "LifeWise curriculum is protected by U.S. copyright … and is also a part of a licensing agreement with LifeWay Christian Resources.  It is not available for public distribution."

Parrish told The Dispatch that he believes the reason LifeWise was making the curriculum available was because they "were experiencing a PR nightmare." He also said it would be impossible to go through five years of weekly Bible lessons in 48 hours.

"They keep claiming that every issue that me and our group is raising is, you know, a lie and a disingenuous question, but yet, they keep changing policies," Parrish said. "It's only because we made a deal about it, because it should be public. They didn't want to do this."

He also said the curriculum, which is through LifeWay, shows that it is not a nondenominational education of the Bible considering that LifeWay is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

What is LifeWise?

LifeWise, founded in 2018, is an event-based nonprofit ministry with a mission to reach public school students. It offers Bible education during school hour that is off school property, privately funded and parent-permitted, often during an elective class period.

This summer, Penton testified in favor of House Bill 445, which would require public school districts to excuse students for off-campus religious instruction.

Penton said during a hearing on the bill that the organization works with 200 schools across Ohio and 23 school districts have turned down LifeWise Academy in Ohio.

LifeWise is currently renovating a former Hilliard scuba-diving facility once home to an 18-foot-deep pool, which will become the headquarters for the nonprofit when completed, The Dispatch previously reported. LifeWise purchased the former Aquatic Adventures building located by Interstate 270 off Cemetery Road in Hilliard for nearly $3 million.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: LifeWise curriculum now available to the public — with a catch