#USA #WA – Everett Public Schools agreed in mid-October 2026 to publicly apologize, revise its policies, provide religious liberty training to board members, and pay $275,000 in attorney’s fees to settle a federal lawsuit over its treatment of an off-campus Bible education program.
The settlement resolved claims by LifeWise Academy, a nonprofit that offered voluntary, privately funded Bible-based character education to public school students during non-instructional time such as lunch or recess. Under longstanding “released-time” rules, parents could authorize their children to leave campus briefly for the instruction, which took place off school property.
LifeWise and its supporters filed suit after the district adopted rules that applied only to the program. Students who returned from LifeWise classes were required to keep any materials they received—including Bibles and worksheets—in sealed envelopes inside their backpacks so that other students would not be exposed to them. Parents were required to submit a new permission slip every week rather than authorizing participation for a full semester. The district also barred LifeWise from participating in community resource fairs and from displaying flyers in locations open to other organizations.
School board member Charles Adkins had publicly expressed hostility toward the program. At a board meeting, he stated that he held “animus” toward LifeWise Academy, describing it as “an organization of homophobic bullies” involved in efforts to create “an authoritarian theocracy” or “fascist theocracy.” He made additional claims about the program’s motives that the plaintiffs described as false and offensive.
In April 2026, U.S. District Judge Lauren King of the Western District of Washington granted a preliminary injunction. The court found that the district had engaged in viewpoint discrimination and ordered it to halt several of the restrictive practices, including the sealed-envelope rule and the weekly reauthorization requirement.
The board approved the settlement on or about October 13, 2026. Under its terms, the district posted a written apology on its website that was required to remain visible for six months. The statement acknowledged that comments made at board meetings about LifeWise, including by directors, “were offensive and hurtful to the families participating in LifeWise programming” and that the district’s policies had created difficulties for participating students and families, particularly regarding release procedures and the handling of materials. It offered a “sincere apology,” affirmed the rights of families to raise their children according to their own religious beliefs, and committed to administering policies neutrally and consistently.
Joel Penton, founder and CEO of LifeWise Academy, said the settlement was a victory for Everett families who wanted the freedom to choose Bible education for their children during school hours and that the organization looked forward to receiving the same access and respect given to other optional programs. Attorneys from First Liberty Institute, which represented LifeWise along with the firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, described the outcome as a win for religious release-time programs and said religious discrimination had no place in public schools.
The district stated that the settlement allowed it to avoid further litigation and expenditure of district funds while complying with its constitutional obligations. It maintained that it neither endorsed nor opposed any religious organization and that no religious programs operated inside its schools during the school day. Released-time religious instruction has been permitted under federal law since the Supreme Court’s 1952 decision in Zorach v. Clauson, provided the instruction occurs off campus, is privately funded, and is based on parental consent.
The case ended without a full trial. The district did not admit liability as part of the agreement.
Cover Image: Everett Public Schools office building at 3900 Broadway Everett , Washington.
