Full Breakdown
Everett School District Settles Religious-Liberty Lawsuit with LifeWise Academy
By Drooid · · How we work
Settlement Details
Everett Public Schools, a Washington district serving roughly 20,000 students across 27 schools, reached a settlement with LifeWise Academy, a nonprofit that provides off-campus Bible instruction during the school day. The agreement requires the district to post a public written apology on its website for six months, undergo religious-liberty training for board members, revise policies that previously demanded weekly parental permission slips and sealed program materials, and pay $275,000 in attorney’s fees. The settlement resolves a lawsuit alleging the district’s rules singled out LifeWise while other extracurricular programs faced no comparable burdens.
Background & Context
Released-time religious instruction is permitted under a 1952 U.S. Supreme Court decision so long as instruction occurs off school property, is privately funded, and requires parental consent. LifeWise Academy operates such programs in more than 1,000 schools across 37 states, reaching over 100,000 students. In Everett, the district’s 2025-2026 policy changes required parents to submit a permission slip each week rather than once per semester and to return any LifeWise worksheets or Bibles in sealed envelopes. The district also barred LifeWise from participating in community fairs and displaying promotional flyers—restrictions not applied to other student groups.
Data & Statistics
- Attorney-fees component of the settlement: $275,000.
- District enrollment: about 20,700 students in 27 schools.
- LifeWise’s national footprint: over 1,000 schools in 37 states, serving more than 100,000 students.
Official Statements & Responses
The settlement also requires the board to complete religious-liberty training and amend district policies so that future religious-release programs are not subjected to “needlessly complicated and burdensome” authorization procedures.
First Liberty Institute, which represented LifeWise, called the outcome a “tremendous victory” for religious-release-time programs and emphasized that “religious discrimination has no place in public schools.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “Religious discrimination has no place in public schools,” — Stephanie Taub, senior counsel at First Liberty Institute
- “Then the school board changed some of their policies in some ways that were pretty transparently discriminatory and infringed on the religious liberty of our program there,” — Joel Penton, LifeWise Academy CEO
What’s Next
Under the settlement, Everett Public Schools must post the apology for six months and complete the mandated training before the next board meeting. The district must also revise its policy handbook to align with Washington state law (RCW 28A.600.025) and federal guidelines governing released-time instruction. No further litigation is anticipated unless additional disputes arise over policy implementation.
