Federal Lawsuit Against Washington School District Over Treatment of Christian Programs
A school district in Washington is now facing a federal lawsuit after its board openly admitted to having a “hostility” towards Christian programs. There are allegations that school officials compelled elementary students to seal Bibles and other religious items in envelopes, forcing them to hide these materials in their backpacks.
The complaint, which was filed on December 18 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, deals with the treatment of Lifewise Academy. This is a national nonprofit organization that offers parent-led Bible instruction to students during designated times, like lunch and recess.
First Liberty Institute, along with the law firm of Brian Cave Leighton Paisner, initiated the lawsuit against Everett Public Schools. They contend that the school district has violated the First Amendment by treating participants of Lifewise as “second-class citizens” and imposing unfair standards simply due to their religious nature.
Among the allegations are claims that school officials prevented Lifewise from taking part in community fairs and from posting informational flyers alongside non-religious ones in the school lobby. School authorities also face criticism for enforcing a stringent permission slip policy, which mandates that parents submit new written permissions weekly for students to engage in the program.
Additionally, the lawsuit states that students were ordered to keep Lifewise materials, such as Bibles, hidden inside their backpacks, making them unavailable throughout the school day—even during free time when other reading materials are permitted, like comic books.
These actions are alleged to be part of a broader pattern of hostility from school officials, particularly from board member Charles Adkins. During a board meeting on December 9, Adkins reportedly acknowledged his “hostility” toward Christian groups in response to a letter addressing the district’s restrictive policies.
He went further, declaring, “I want to make it very, very clear that I actually have animosity toward Lifewise Academy.” Adkins described the organization as “homophobic bullies” and urged the board to combat “Christian nationalism, fascism, and white supremacy,” warning not to allow Lifewise to “brainwash children into hatred and ignorance.”
Lifewise’s legal representatives argue that the restrictions placed on them violate decades-old legal precedents. The U.S. Supreme Court, for instance, recognized the constitutionality of off-campus religious instruction back in 1952 with its decision in Zorac vs Clauson. This was contingent on it not using public funds and having parental consent.
According to Jeremy Diss, a senior counsel at First Liberty, “School officials cannot favor religion over non-religion, nor can they simply throw obstacles in the way of parents who seek to raise their children according to their religious beliefs.”
First Liberty highlighted a recent ruling in which the Supreme Court reiterated that public schools must not impose unconstitutional restrictions on religious practices.
However, in a letter dated December 12 to Lifewise’s attorneys, the school district’s attorney refuted the alleged violations, labeling them as “factually incorrect.” The district’s attorney stated, “The district will continue to evaluate requests to participate in district-sponsored events and distribute materials in accordance with policies consistent with law.” They noted that just because a party disagrees with those policies does not render them unconstitutional.
Neither Everett Public Schools nor Adkins provided comments regarding the situation.
