Washington school district apologizes, promises to reform religious liberty policies in settlement with faith instruction organization 

A Washington state school district has apologized and agreed to religious liberty training and policy reforms in a settlement with LifeWise Academy, a nonprofit that provides religious instruction to public school students.

The settlement was with Everett Public Schools, a district of about 20,000 students north of Seattle.

“We are grateful to the Everett parents who courageously stood up for their children and defended their rights throughout the legal process,” LifeWise Academy CEO Joel Penton said in a release. “Our focus remains on providing Bible education to families who want it and helping students develop character that serves them throughout their lives.”

LifeWise began offering voluntary Bible instruction to public school students in Ohio in 2019 and has since expanded to more than 1,000 schools across 37 states. The organization said it reaches more than 100,000 students nationwide through programs operating under laws that allow students to leave school for religious instruction during the school day.

A 1952 U.S. Supreme Court ruling established that released-time religious instruction is allowed if it takes place off school property and is privately funded. Such programs also require parental permission, according to LifeWise. Laws in 31 states permit religious instruction, and schools partnering with LifeWise perform 30% better academically and have statistically lower absenteeism and suspension rates, the organization said.

LifeWise sued Everett Public Schools, alleging that the district imposed unreasonable restrictions on the nonprofit. Those restrictions included excluding LifeWise from community events, prohibiting it from promoting its program through flyers and requiring students to conceal LifeWise materials and Bibles in sealed envelopes inside their backpacks. The district also required parents to “follow a needlessly complicated and burdensome permission-slip” that had to be renewed weekly, according to a press release from First Liberty Institute, which represents LifeWise.

“No other program requires similar burdensome regulations,” the press release states.

The restrictions followed hostile remarks by school board member Charles Adkins, who accused LifeWise of promoting an “effort to turn our nation into a fascist theocracy,” according to First Liberty.

“I want to make it very, extremely, abundantly clear, that yes, I do in fact hold animus toward LifeWise Academy,” Adkins said at a school board meeting, calling it “an organization of homophobic bullies.”

Under the settlement, Everett Public Schools issued a written public apology that will remain on its website for six months. The district’s website includes a page on its released-time program, but the apology had not been posted at the time of writing.

“The District recognizes that comments made at various Board meetings that concerned LifeWise, including by Directors, were offensive and hurtful to the families participating in LifeWise programming. For that, the District and its Board of Directors offer a sincere apology,” the apology reads in part. “We recognize that these statements negatively affected the exercise of your faith. The District values the rights of all families to raise their children according to their own religious beliefs. We further apologize to any students or families that were made to feel by these comments that your religious beliefs are unworthy of respect.”

The settlement also requires the district’s Board of Directors to complete religious liberty training and reform district policies on religious activities. The district will pay $275,000 in attorney’s fees.

“Religious discrimination has no place in public schools,” First Liberty Institute Senior Counsel Stephanie Taub said in a statement. “We are grateful to have reached this settlement on behalf of LifeWise. This is a tremendous victory not only for our clients but for all religious release time programs.”

(Featured image: Everett School Board)