Everett School District to pay $275,000 in religious liberty settlement

The Everett School District in Washington has agreed to a settlement following a lawsuit by LifeWise Academy regarding restrictions placed on students participating in voluntary, off-campus Bible instruction. Under the terms of the agreement, the district will pay $275,000 in attorney’s fees, issue a public apology to Christian families, and implement religious liberty training for school board members.

The legal challenge addressed policies that required students to keep Bibles and related worksheets inside sealed envelopes. Additionally, the district required parents to provide weekly permission slips for the program and barred the organization from participating in community fairs that other student groups were permitted to attend. LifeWise Academy founder Joel Penton stated that these requirements made participation impractical and caused students to feel pressured to hide their faith.

The litigation also highlighted internal hostility within the school board. During a meeting, board member Charles Adkins stated, “I want to make it very, extremely, abundantly clear, that yes, I do in fact hold animus toward LifeWise Academy.” Adkins had previously characterized the organization in derogatory terms, which contributed to the legal proceedings that led to the federal judge's intervention and the subsequent settlement.