Everett Public Schools in Washington agreed to pay $275,000 in attorney’s fees and change its policies to settle a federal religious-discrimination lawsuit brought by Hilliard-based LifeWise Academy and a participating parent.
The school board approved the agreement Oct. 13 without admitting wrongdoing. LifeWise announced the settlement on Oct. 14. The payment comes from the roughly 20,000-student district's general fund, the Everett Herald reported.
The district did not admit wrongdoing. A district memo stated the payment "resolves the matter in its entirety and releases the district from any claims or actions related to this lawsuit," according to the Everett Herald.
"This settlement is a welcome victory for Everett families who simply want the freedom to choose Bible education for their children during school hours," Joel Penton, CEO of LifeWise Academy, said in a statement.
LifeWise and Sarah Sweeny, who helped start the Everett program, filed the federal lawsuit in December 2025. The suit alleged Everett Public Schools singled out LifeWise with restrictions not imposed on other programs. Those included barring LifeWise from community events and flyer displays, requiring weekly parental reauthorization for students to attend and requiring students to keep LifeWise materials, including Bibles, sealed in envelopes in their backpacks.
The dispute also involved remarks by school board member Charles Adkins. He declared at a board meeting that he held "animus toward LifeWise Academy" and accused the organization of engaging in an "effort to turn our nation into a fascist theocracy," according to First Liberty Institute. Adkins also called LifeWise "an organization of homophobic bullies," the Everett Herald reported. Adkins said the comments were made on his own behalf, not the board's. The district argued in court that his remarks were not evidence the board targeted LifeWise.
The district's apology states in part: "The District recognizes that comments made at various Board meetings that concerned LifeWise, including by Directors, were offensive and hurtful to the families participating in LifeWise programming."
A federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington granted a preliminary injunction largely in LifeWise's favor in April 2026. That ruling ordered the district to change its permission slip policy, let LifeWise participate in community fairs and allow students to read LifeWise materials during the school day. A trial had been set for April 2027 before the settlement.
LifeWise provides voluntary, privately funded Bible instruction to public school students during school hours at off-campus locations. The program requires parental permission and operates under released-time religious instruction laws upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1952. The nonprofit operates nearly 1,200 schools nationwide, according to the Everett Herald. It has 531 active chapters across 37 states, according to Columbus Underground.
LifeWise moved into a nearly 24,000-square-foot headquarters in Hilliard in 2025, a former aquatic facility it purchased for $2.8 million, according to the Ohio Capital Journal. The organization reported a total revenue of more than $39.2 million in fiscal year 2024-25.
