Washington School District to Apologize and Pay $275K Over Bible Program Restrictions

The Everett School District in Washington state has agreed to publicly apologize, provide religious liberty training for its board members, and pay $275,000 in attorney's fees to settle a lawsuit brought by LifeWise Academy, a Christian education organization. The lawsuit challenged district policies that required elementary school students to keep Bibles and program materials concealed in sealed envelopes and mandated that families submit permission slips every week for children to attend voluntary, off-campus Bible instruction.

LifeWise Academy, which offers privately funded Bible instruction to public school students during the school day with parental consent, filed the suit after the district imposed restrictions that the organization argued unfairly targeted its program. Joel Penton, founder and CEO of LifeWise Academy, said parents described the emotional toll of the policies, including children feeling pressured to hide their faith. «I also heard from parents that their children felt like they were being told they had to hide their faith when they were told they had to put their Bibles and things in envelopes as though it was something to be ashamed of, and I know that was very hurtful as well,» Penton said.

According to Penton, LifeWise had operated in Everett for several years, serving dozens of students and families, before the school board changed its policies. He said the changes included requiring parents to hand-deliver a permission slip each week instead of signing one for the semester or year, which he described as onerous and impractical. The district also allegedly barred LifeWise from participating in community fairs where other student organizations were allowed, and instructed students to return any worksheets or Bibles from the program in sealed envelopes so other students would not be exposed to them.

Penton argued that the weekly permission requirement threatened the program's viability. «We knew at least with the permission slip policy that it was meant to effectively shut down the program, that one of the reasons students, parents enroll their students is because of how practical and convenient it is for them to receive Bible education during school hours as part of their school day,» he said. «And now to tell them that they had to personally bring in a permission slip each and every week just made it really impractical for a lot of parents, and I know there are many who were frustrated about that.»

LifeWise initially attempted to resolve the dispute directly with school officials and later through an attorney before filing suit. In April, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction against the district, according to LifeWise. The settlement announced Wednesday requires changes to district policies, religious liberty training for school board members, a public written apology posted on the district's website for six months, and $275,000 in attorney's fees.

The district's statement, quoted in the settlement announcement, said: «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.»

In a statement posted on its website, Everett Public Schools said parents and guardians have the right to seek the release of their students during the school day for religious-related activities or instruction that occurs off school property for part of the school day pursuant to District Policy 2340 and Procedure 2340P. The district said the policy and procedures align with Washington state law and federal law, with which it is required to comply. The procedure allows students to be excused for a portion of the school day, provided the instruction is conducted off-site and does not disrupt regular classroom instructional time. The district also said there were no changes to the policy, but the Student Release Guidelines have been updated to comply with the terms of the settlement.

The case highlights ongoing tensions over the balance between religious liberty and public school policies, particularly regarding off-campus religious instruction during school hours. LifeWise Academy operates in multiple states, offering Bible education with parental permission, and the Everett settlement may influence how other districts approach similar programs.

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Delaney Sawyer

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Delaney Sawyer covers public affairs, politics, business, culture and daily news for Core Memo. The role focuses on verification, context, and clear explanations for readers.

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