A Washington school district is facing a federal lawsuit after a school board member admitted to holding “animus” toward a Christian program, and officials allegedly required elementary students to keep Bibles and other religious materials “sealed in an envelope” inside their backpacks.

The complaint, filed Dec. 18 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, centers on LifeWise Academy, a national nonprofit providing off-campus, parent-led Bible instruction during “released time” like lunch or recess. The suit, brought by First Liberty Institute and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, alleges Everett Public Schools treated LifeWise participants as “second-class citizens” and imposed onerous rules solely because the program is religious.

According to the lawsuit, school officials barred LifeWise from the community fair, restricted flyers in school lobbies, and required parents to submit weekly permission slips. Students were allegedly forced to keep all LifeWise materials, including Bibles, inaccessible for the rest of the school day—even when secular materials were allowed.

Board Director Charles Adkins admitted at a Dec. 9 meeting that he held “animus” toward LifeWise, calling it “an organization of homophobic bullies” and urging the board to resist “Christian nationalism, fascism and White supremacy.”

LifeWise attorneys argue these restrictions violate decades of legal precedent. The Supreme Court ruled in Zorach v. Clauson (1952) that off-campus religious instruction with parental consent is constitutional, and recent rulings like Mahmoud v. Taylor reaffirm that public schools cannot burden religious exercise.

The district denies any violations. Attorney Sarah Mack wrote in a Dec. 12 letter that LifeWise’s disagreement with district policies “does not make them unconstitutional,” and the district will continue evaluating program requests in compliance with state and federal law.