Everett Public Schools will pay $275,000 and post a public apology for six months after settling a religious discrimination lawsuit. The money comes from the district's general fund.

The settlement, first reported by the Everett Post on Oct. 15, resolves a lawsuit filed in December 2025 by LifeWise Academy and parent Sarah Sweeny, who helped start the program in Everett.

LifeWise holds voluntary Bible education classes at New Hope Assembly Church near Emerson Elementary School during the school day, with parental consent.

The district's apology, signed by Superintendent Ian Saltzman and board members including Charles Adkins, acknowledged that comments made at board meetings were offensive and hurtful to families in the LifeWise program.

The district's posted statement said those comments negatively affected families' exercise of their faith and apologized to anyone made to feel their religious beliefs were unworthy of respect.

Adkins voiced his opposition publicly. At one board meeting, he declared, "I want to make it very, extremely, abundantly clear, that yes, I do in fact hold animus toward LifeWise Academy." LifeWise's attorneys also said Adkins accused the program of trying to turn the nation into a theocracy, according to the Everett Post.

Beyond the comments, the board had imposed regulations that LifeWise's attorneys called discriminatory. Students were required to conceal written materials from LifeWise in sealed envelopes in their backpacks.

Parents had to reauthorize participation every week. LifeWise was barred from community events and from displaying flyers, according to the attorneys as reported by the Everett Post. No other program faced similar requirements, the attorneys said.

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington granted a preliminary injunction against the district in April 2026. The settlement followed.

Under the agreement, the board must also undergo religious liberty training and change district policies governing religious activities, according to a First Liberty Institute press release cited by The Center Square. First Liberty Institute and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner represented LifeWise in the case.

The $275,000 covers attorney's fees and goes to Sweeny and the LifeWise nonprofit, according to First Liberty. The payment comes from the district's general fund.

The settlement lands as Washington school districts face rising costs from legal payouts. The Center Square reported that premiums for the Washington Schools Risk Management Pool, which covers more than a third of the state's districts, rose 45% this past spring. The pool collects contributions from member districts to cover settlements and verdicts. Whether Everett's settlement draws from the pool or is paid separately was not specified in available reporting.

Stephanie Taub, senior counsel at First Liberty Institute, said in a press release that the outcome extends beyond Everett, calling it "a tremendous victory not only for our clients but for all religious release time programs."

The district's apology is posted on its website. The settlement requires it to remain visible for six months.