Everett Public Schools religious discrimination settlement

Everett Public Schools in Washington state reached a settlement with LifeWise Academy, a Christian organization providing off-campus Bible instruction, following a religious discrimination lawsuit.

The legal challenge centered on district policies that required students to keep Bibles and worksheets in sealed envelopes and mandated that parents submit weekly permission slips rather than a single semester-long authorization. LifeWise Academy also alleged the district excluded the group from community resource fairs and restricted the distribution of informational materials. The litigation highlighted internal hostility, including a statement from board member Charles Adkins who said, ‘I want to make it very, extremely, abundantly clear, that yes, I do in fact hold animus toward LifeWise Academy.’

Under the terms of the agreement, the school district will pay $275,000 in legal fees, issue a public apology to participating families, and require religious liberty training for its board of directors. Superintendent Ian Saltzman and the board acknowledged that previous policies negatively affected students and families, expressing regret for comments described as ‘offensive and hurtful.’