By Miles Layton

EDENTON — Nine members of the public stepped to the microphone during Tuesday’s Edenton-Chowan Board of Education meeting to weigh in on LifeWise Academy, the released-time religious instruction program set to launch this year for kindergarten through second-grade students in the county. 

And yes, I would say it was a packed house, with a big crowd of LifeWise supporters. Learned a lot from this wide-ranging set of remarks — from statistics and safety protocols to calls for more public input — that reflected both strong community support for the program and lingering questions about how quickly it had moved forward. For a related story, click here.

The featured photo accompanying the story is of Michele Lewis, the local program director for LifeWise Academy of Edenton-Chowan County.

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Webb Presents the Data

Tyler Webb was the first speaker to focus specifically on LifeWise, telling board members he wanted to walk them through research behind the program before handing out supporting materials.

Webb shared some of the research,  explaining that the data came from Thomas P. Miller and Associates, or TPMA, which he described as “a consulting evaluation firm separate from Lifewise” that “conducts independent evaluations to measure program effectiveness, understand participant experiences, and demonstrate impact.” Here is the link for that report:  https://lifewise.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/TPMA-Report-2026.pdf

Webb said the firm’s most recent evaluation of LifeWise analyzed more than 49,000 school-year records across 27 states over six academic years, and he ran through the findings point by point. On attendance, he said, “schools offering Lifewise had an absence rate nearly 50% lower than schools without Lifewise programming.” On student behavior, he cited “approximately a 35% reduction in in-school suspension incidents and a 32% reduction in out-of-school suspension incidents,” which he said meant “more students remaining in classroom and more opportunities to learn.”

On academics, Webb said the research found “Lifewise programming was associated with a 34% improvement in aggregate ELA scores” — but he was careful to qualify the finding. “I want to emphasize that word ‘associated,’” he said. “The research demonstrates a measurable relationship in the data. It does not claim that Lifewise alone caused these outcomes.”

Webb also addressed safety directly, telling the board that “Lifewise requires comprehensive background screenings for its staff, leadership, board members and volunteers,” with those screenings “repeated every year.” He added that team members must complete “child abuse awareness and mandated reporting training,” and that the program “requires multiple adults to be present with students at all times.”

He closed by framing the program in terms broader than test scores. “Education should develop more than academic ability,” Webb said. “It should help young people develop character, integrity, responsibility, compassion and a sense of purpose.” For families who choose LifeWise, he said, the program offers a chance to build those qualities “through faith and biblical teaching, helping them understand that character isn’t simply about knowing what is right, but having the conviction and the courage to live it out.”

Lewis: ‘This Is Our Community Serving Our Community’

Michele Lewis, local program director for LifeWise Academy of Edenton-Chowan County, answered questions she said she knew were circulating in the community.

“Lifewise Academy is now preparing to serve local families within that framework,” Lewis said, describing the program as “perfectly in step with North Carolina law.” While LifeWise is a national organization that provides curriculum and administrative support, she said, “this program is built local. Local families asked for it, local businesses and neighbors are funding it, local churches are supporting it, and local volunteers will serve within it.”

“I know that you’ve heard rumors,” Lewis told the board, “so as the director I want to share some facts about our program.” She said staff and volunteers “undergo multiple background checks yearly,” that “no adult is ever left alone with a child,” that classes are “held off school property,” and that “every participating child must have written parent permission.” The curriculum, she said, “teaches non-denominational Christian character such as honesty, integrity, and character.”

Lewis also addressed why the classes happen during the school day. “Our goal is to come alongside our families and our teachers, not to add another obligation to them,” she said, explaining that students would attend “once a week, one hour during a non-core period” without adding after-school commitments.

She referenced concerns raised at the board’s July meeting about children feeling left out if classmates leave for LifeWise. “I truly appreciated the concern about children potentially feeling left out,” Lewis said, adding that “our children will have different opportunities and different experiences through life, and we can teach them to be happy for one another and respect another family’s choices, even when those choices are different than their own.”

Lewis announced the program will launch this year for K-2 students and pointed to a neighboring district as a model, saying a Martin County superintendent had called LifeWise “one of the best things that has happened to their schools” at a recent board meeting there, where more than 700 children attend. She closed by thanking the board “for establishing a framework that allows Lifewise to serve our community,” adding, “now it’s our responsibility to show you the quality, character and care which Lifewise will serve with.”

Laws Presses for More Public Process

Active in our community, Lisa Laws, who has volunteered at both the elementary and middle schools, struck a more cautious tone than earlier speakers, saying she was not opposed to the program but wanted more transparency about how it had come together.

“I have a comment about life vision — I think it’s possibly a good thing,” Laws said. “I have no real information except what was on Connect Edenton and also from the folks tonight.”

Her chief concern, she said, was timing and public notice. “I’m just wondering why it wasn’t publicized more that it may happen in this school year,” Laws said, adding that she reads every local newspaper, including the Albemarle Observer.

Laws said she wished there had been “a publicly open meeting for all residents of the county” to give input and ask questions “before it was so quickly implemented,” noting the underlying law was bundled into the state budget passed July 7 rather than considered separately. “It was not a separate law,” she said. “It was bundled in with the budget.”

She closed by reiterating that she has “concerns about it” and would like an open meeting so more residents can learn about the program, saying she appreciates “transparency information for everybody who lives here, pays taxes, and knows neighbors and friends who have children who may be feeling left out if they do not sign up for the program.”

Other Speakers Weigh In

Several other residents spoke in support of LifeWise, generally offering brief remarks rather than detailed data or policy points.

Alex McPherson, a longtime resident, told the board he had no prepared remarks but wanted to “voice my support for Mrs. Lewis and for Lifewise Academy,” saying he believes “having faith-based programs alongside school is a good thing, pure and simple.”

Joan Maxwell, a local business owner – Google Regulator Marine – thanked the board for “honoring the request of Lifewise Academy to offer values-based religious instruction during school hours, off school property, with parental permission and at no cost to the school or to the county.” She said the board’s review of the legal precedent set by the 1952 U.S. Supreme Court case Zorach v. Clauson, along with its review of Martin County’s program, showed “courage,” and cited a LifeWise survey of 1,000 parents and 200 public educators that she called “very encouraging.” And I’ll say it: if you got Joan Maxwell’s mark of endorsement, well, that speaks volumes.

May Neer, who said she was speaking on behalf of her husband and their eight children, five of them school-aged, told the board she supports “the leave time for religious activity or instruction,” saying she wanted her own children to know “that other children believe the same thing as they do in their faith.” Eight children, wow, that’s more than the Brady Bunch. Salute!

Paul Newingham, who owns a Christian bookstore downtown with his wife, Heather, said he had not planned to speak but wanted to share that Bible sales have surged in recent years, which he described as evidence of “a hunger” among young people “for the truth.” He said his business would “do whatever we can to support this program.” Good bookstore!

Bo Coughlin struck a more measured note, thanking everyone who spoke “regardless of your opinion, your perspective, or your belief,” and said he respects “the diversity of belief systems” even as he continues to advocate for his own Christian faith. He cautioned the board against “removing choice from good standing parents as to what they want to do and how they want to treat their children.” And Coughlin owns Wessington, so I need to do a story about that.

BOE Chairman Pro Temp Ricky Browder, who presided over the meeting, closed the public comment period by thanking those who attended. “Thank you guys for coming tonight and sharing your thoughts on this issue,” he said, encouraging residents to “be involved in the school system, not just when it’s something that is passionate to you.”

Last word goes to Superintendent Tammi Ward — “The best story told about Edenton-Chowan Public Schools is a shared story. It was inspiring to see such an engaged audience at our August Board meeting, and we hope those attending will share with others information and discussions from the presenters. Listening to the varied insights and experiences across our homes and community is essential to building strong schools and preparing our students for the future.”

The board moved on to other business, including construction updates on the new high school and a discussion of using state lottery repair-and-renovation funds for a field house renovation. More on that will appear in a future story.