LifeWise Everett Washington

Local parents helped start LifeWise Academy at Everett School District in Washington. LifeWise Academy is a nonprofit that provides Bible education to public school students during school hours under released time religious instruction laws—which the Supreme Court of the United States has upheld for nearly three-quarters of a century.

Based on the Supreme Court’s ruling in Zorach v. Clauson (1952), public school parents can ask public schools to release their children during the school day in order to participate in religious instruction, so long as the religious instruction is conducted off school property, is privately funded, and parents give their permission. Meeting all three criteria, LifeWise offers off-campus religious instruction to Emerson Elementary School students during lunch and recess. When LifeWise began offering released-time religious instruction to students last year, it was immediately popular. Currently, fifty-five families from Emerson Elementary send their children to LifeWise.

Despite strong parental support, however, school officials singled-out LifeWise for onerous regulation and made hostile remarks about it. School board Director Charles Adkins falsely and offensively alleged that the mission of LifeWise is “to bring white supremacy and Christian nationalism to our schools” and to “snuff out the cultures, religion, and language of native kids and other kids of color.” Mr. Adkins’s histrionics continued with the malicious accusation that LifeWise is engaged in an “effort to turn our nation into a fascist theocracy.” Saying the quiet part out loud, he made his intentions clear: On these bases, Mr. Adkins declared that LifeWise “cannot be allowed to have access to our kids.”

Consequently, the board adopted regulations prohibiting LifeWise from participating in community events and displaying its flyers like secular groups are allowed, requiring LifeWise students to conceal any written materials they receive from LifeWise in a sealed envelope in their backpacks, and requiring LifeWise parents to follow a needlessly complicated and burdensome permission-slip policy, namely, weekly reauthorization for students to participate in LifeWise. No other school program requires similar burdensome regulations.

In response to this religious discrimination, First Liberty sent a demand letter to Everett School District.

According to the law firm’s letter, “However motivated, that criticism reflects profound animus toward LifeWise and the families whose children attend. It is both offensive and legally problematic. The Constitution does not permit this sort of targeted animus toward religion. To remedy any offense, LifeWise requests swift action by the Board so that it may avoid costly and protracted litigation.”

Then in December 2025, First Liberty Institute and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP filed a federal lawsuit against the school district on behalf of LifeWise. The lawsuit challenges the regulations for permitted release-time courses for students, arguing that they violate the First Amendment and impose subjective standards targeting religious groups.

Additionally, during a December school board meeting, Director Charles Adkins publicly admitted animus toward LifeWise.

In April 2026, the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington issued a preliminary injunction against the Everett School District, halting discriminatory regulations targeted towards LifeWise.

Some months later in October 2026, the firms settled the lawsuit on behalf of LifeWise Academy against the Everett, Washington school district. The settlement, as approved by the Everett Public Schools Board of Directors, requires the Board to undergo religious liberty training, make changes to the District’s policies governing religious activities, issue a public written apology for its actions visible for six months, and pay $275,000 in attorney’s fees.

Joel Penton, CEO of LifeWise Academy said, “This settlement is a welcome victory for Everett families who simply want the freedom to choose Bible education for their children during school hours. We are pleased that LifeWise will receive the same access and respect given to other optional programs. We look forward to continuing to provide children in the Everett community with Bible-based character education.”

“Religious discrimination has no place in public schools,” said Stephanie Taub, Senior Counsel at First Liberty Institute. “We are grateful to have reached this settlement on behalf of LifeWise. This is a tremendous victory not only for our clients but for all religious release time programs.”

“Anti-religious sentiment by government officials—particularly when coupled with the adoption of facially discriminatory policies—has no place in a free society,” said Barbara Smith Tyson, partner at the law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, LLP. “Students in Everett, Washington, like all Americans, enjoy the right to receive religious instruction without fear or favor.”