LifeWise Founder Proud of Background Check Failures

Broadcast this past Monday, LifeWise founder Joel Penton stated publicly in an interview for NBC4 in Columbus, OH, that he welcomes the diligence of community members outside of LifeWise who have discovered serious flaws in his background check system. He declared the discoveries as proof that the LifeWise background checks are working. 

Emulating the snarkiest of teenagers we ask, “Whut the whut??” 

It was a community member outside of Lifewise, concerned about LifeWise starting in their district, who uncovered the disturbing fact that the chapter director had been previously fired from her teaching job for sexting with her student. It was a community member outside of LifeWise who investigated the location another chapter was renting, and discovered that child sex offenders worked in the same building, separated from the children by nothing more than a door and a prayer. 

LifeWise didn’t catch these horrific violations of safety and protection of our children and parents’ trust. It was concerned community members doing LifeWise’s job for them. And, Joel Penton claims the fact that people outside of his organization discovered these violations as proof LifeWise’s background check is working. No explanation for why his organization didn’t do their jobs and discover this on their own. No apology to the parents who put their trust in an organization which takes their children into its custody during the school day. Instead he says, “I think that what has happened has shown the effectiveness of what we do .… I think that those are examples of how the system’s working.”

We ask our readers to sit with that for a moment. 

It is mindboggling to us that Joel Penton makes no apology for violating the trust and safety of his mission field. It is mindboggling to us that he makes no apology for his failed system of background checks. It is mindboggling that he proclaims this failure a success, and thanks outsiders for doing his organization's job for him. 

One thing we do agree with Penton on is that these are indeed examples of how their system is working. But, certainly not that the system is working well; these are examples that his system doesn’t work to keep kids safe. He’s relying on people outside of LifeWise to keep children safe from his own organization’s decision-making. It’s criminal that he’s proud of that fact.

When detractors say that Respect Public Schools - Washington should mind our own business, and let parents make their own choices for their young children, it’s egregious examples like those shown above that demonstrate why we exist. Because we cannot trust LifeWise to do the bare minimum to keep our kids safe. It’s apparently fine for the legislators in Ohio to force LifeWise on school districts, but we are fighting for the innocence and safety of children here in Washington. Please join us in reaching out to our representatives all across the state to educate them on the dangers of LIfeWise and groups like them. Use our contact form to learn more.