Everett Public Schools in Washington has agreed to a settlement resolving a lawsuit over rules applied to students attending LifeWise Academy’s voluntary, off-campus Bible instruction during the school day. The agreement calls for policy changes, religious-liberty training for school board members, a public apology and $275,000 in attorneys’ fees, according to LifeWise, the organization that brought the case.
Under the settlement, the district will post a written apology on its website for six months. The statement, quoted in LifeWise’s announcement, says comments about the program made at school board meetings, including remarks by board members, were offensive and hurtful to participating families, and offers an apology on behalf of the district and board.
LifeWise founder and CEO Joel Penton told Fox News Digital that parents objected to requirements they said made participation difficult and left some children feeling they had to conceal their religious materials. He said the district required families to provide a permission slip every week, rather than once for a semester or year, and that students returning from instruction had to keep Bibles or worksheets in sealed envelopes.
Penton also said LifeWise was barred from some community fairs where, he said, other student organizations could take part. He described the weekly permission requirement as a practical obstacle for families. These descriptions of the district’s restrictions and their effects were provided by Penton and LifeWise.
LifeWise provides privately funded Bible instruction to public-school students during the school day, with parental permission. The organization said it had served dozens of students and families in Everett for several years before the school board changed its policies. It first tried to address the dispute with district officials and later through an attorney, Penton said, before filing suit.
The federal case challenged district rules that LifeWise argued treated its program unfairly and burdened families’ ability to participate. LifeWise said a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against the district in April. The settlement announced Wednesday also requires the district to provide religious-liberty training to board members.
Everett Public Schools said parents and guardians may request that students be released during the school day for religious-related activities or instruction held off school property. The district cited Policy 2340 and Procedure 2340P, as well as Washington state law, and said the release must not disrupt regular classroom instruction.
The district said its Student Release Guidelines were updated to comply with the settlement. In response to Fox News Digital’s request for comment, it referred the outlet to its public statement and said there had been no change to the policy itself.
The settlement resolves the lawsuit’s claims through the agreed measures; the supplied material does not include a court finding that the district intentionally discriminated against LifeWise. The district’s public statement acknowledges hurtful comments and describes the legal basis for student release, while LifeWise’s account focuses on the restrictions it challenged.
