Everett Public Schools, a Washington state public school district with about 20,700 students in 27 schools, agreed to pay $275,000 in attorney’s fees and to apologize to families to settle a lawsuit over its treatment of LifeWise Academy, which offers off-campus Bible instruction during school hours.
Attorneys for the academy accused the district of imposing restrictions other programs didn’t face, including requiring weekly parental permission and rules requiring students to keep LifeWise materials in sealed envelopes in their backpacks.
The First Liberty Institute, which represents LifeWise, said on Tuesday that the settlement requires the district school board to undergo religious liberty training and includes revisions to district policies on religious activities.
“Religious discrimination has no place in public schools,” stated Stephanie Taub, senior counsel at the institute. “This is a tremendous victory not only for our clients but for all religious release time programs.”
Attorneys cited school board member Charles Adkins, who allegedly said at a board meeting that he wanted “to make it very, extremely, abundantly clear, that yes, I do in fact hold animus toward LifeWise Academy.”
The settlement requires the district to post an apology on its website and keep it posted for six months.
According to First Liberty, the district will apologize for the statement at the school board meeting.
It will say, in part, that “the district values the rights of all families to raise their children according to their own religious beliefs” and that “we further apologize to any students or families that were made to feel by these comments that your religious beliefs are unworthy of respect,” according to the institute.
The district states on its website that it neither endorses nor opposes religious programs. Its published guidelines limit release for religious instruction to lunch or recess, require parental authorization and leave transportation arrangements to families.
