Washington school allegedly forced students to hide Bibles in backpacks

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LifeWise Academy working with public schools to teach Bible classes.

Founder and CEO Joel Penton describes the Bible class program being used by a growing number of public schools.

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

The complaint, filed Dec. 18 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, centers on the treatment of LifeWise Academy, a national nonprofit that provides off-campus, parent-led Bible instruction for students during "released time," such as lunch or recess.

The legal action, brought by First Liberty Institute and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, accuses Everett Public Schools in Everett, Washington, of violating the First Amendment by treating LifeWise participants as "second-class citizens" and "subjecting the group to onerous standards simply because it is religious."

The lawsuit claims school officials barred LifeWise from participating in its community fair and from displaying informational flyers in school lobbies next to flyers for secular organizations. It also challenges a "burdensome" permission slip policy requiring parents to submit a new written authorization every single week for students to attend the program.

A federal lawsuit alleges a Washington school district denied equal access to a Christian club. (plherrera/Getty)

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School officials are also accused of forcing students to keep any LifeWise materials, including Bibles, hidden in envelopes in their backpacks, making them inaccessible for the rest of the school day, even during free periods when students are allowed to read secular materials such as comic books.

The lawsuit claims these actions follow a pattern of hostility from school officials, specifically from Board Director Charles Adkins.

In response to a letter from attorneys urging the district to address its restrictive policies, Adkins admitted at a Dec. 9 board meeting he held "animus" toward the Christian group.

LifeWise Academy has more than 300 public school programs operating in 12 states, with more than 35,000 students enrolled to learn about the Bible. (LifeWise Academy)

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"I want to make it very, extremely, abundantly clear, that yes, I do in fact hold animus toward LifeWise Academy," Adkins said at the Dec. 9 board meeting. "It is an organization of homophobic bullies who are active and willing participants in the efforts to bring about an authoritarian theocracy."

In his comments, he also rallied the board to stand up to "Christian nationalism, fascism and White supremacy" and not allow LifeWise to "further brainwash our kids to be full of hate, anger and ignorance."

Attorneys for LifeWise argue these restrictions violate nearly decades of legal precedent. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld religious-instruction release as constitutional in the 1952 ruling Zorach v. Clauson, provided the programs are held off-campus, use no public funds and have parental consent.

"School officials cannot prefer religion over nonreligion, nor may they throw obstacles in the path of parents simply trying raise their children according to their religious convictions," Jeremy Dys, senior counsel at First Liberty, said in a press release.

LifeWise Academy is a Christian ministry that operates Bible instruction classes during school hours as part of released time programs available in several states. (LifeWise Academy)

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"Purposefully hindering the operation of an out-of-school program just because it’s religious is a direct violation of the First Amendment," he continued.

First Liberty pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the Mahmoud v. Taylor case out of Maryland this past June, where the court reiterated that public schools "may not place unconstitutional burdens on religious exercise."

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The school district's attorneys reportedly denied the alleged violations as "factually inaccurate" in a Dec. 12 letter sent to LifeWise attorneys and obtained by the Everett Herald. 

"With respect to LifeWise Academy itself, the District will continue to evaluate any requests to participate in District-sponsored events or to distribute its materials in compliance with its policies and procedures which comport with state and federal laws," wrote the attorney representing the district, Sarah Mack. "Simply because your client disagrees that those policies and procedures should apply to it or to the families and students served by LifeWise Academy does not make them unconstitutional."

Everett Public Schools and Adkins did not return Fox News Digital's request for comment.

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