📣 SEA Statement on First Liberty’s Attack on Everett Public Schools

First Liberty published a new article accusing Everett Public Schools (WA) of “discrimination” because the district is enforcing normal, neutral safety and attendance procedures around LifeWise Academy’s Released Time Religious Instruction (RTRI) program.

Below are screenshots of the article so you can see the claims without giving First Liberty clicks or algorithmic boosts.

Here’s what’s actually happening:

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🔍 1. Washington functions as a “may release” state — districts are NOT required to release students at all.

This is the piece First Liberty hopes you don’t know.

In Washington:
• Districts may release students for religious instruction.
• They are not obligated to do so.
• They can stop accommodating Release Time entirely if it becomes a legal or logistical burden.

Everett could legally end Release Time tomorrow.

So the idea that they are “hostile to religion” for applying neutral safety rules is absurd.
They are actually doing more than the law requires by accommodating LifeWise at all.

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🔍 2. Everett’s policies are standard, neutral, and required for student safety.

LifeWise objects to Everett requiring:
• Verified parental consent
• Weekly authorization for removing children during class
• Protection of core instructional time
• Clear accounting for attendance and IEP minutes
• Limits on on-campus recruitment and flyers
• Neutral packaging of religious materials to prevent hallway proselytizing
• Standard school-office procedures

These are normal controls for any off-campus program that removes children mid-day.

To call these “burdensome” or “discriminatory” is misleading.

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🔍 3. First Liberty is misusing Zorach v. Clauson.

They quote Zorach as if it grants religious organizations guaranteed access to school space and promotion.

It does not.

Zorach only upheld Release Time under strict conditions:
• No school involvement in recruitment
• No on-campus distribution or promotion
• No disruption of the school day
• No coercion
• Complete neutrality from the district

If even the appearance of coercion exists, Zorach becomes irrelevant — and modern Establishment Clause cases take over (McCollum, Santa Fe, Good News Club distinctions, etc.).

Everett is acting well within the boundaries the Supreme Court laid out.

LifeWise is asking for more than Zorach allows.

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🔍 4. Notice what’s at the bottom of the article: the fundraising ask.

Fear → outrage → “GIVE $25 / $50 / $100.”

This isn’t about student rights.
It’s a national political pressure campaign aimed at expanding a private religious operation inside public-school systems — and fundraising off the manufactured conflict.

SEA is now tracking identical letters and tactics in:
• Ohio
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• West Virginia
• Washington
• Pennsylvania
• And several districts that haven’t gone public yet

The playbook is the same everywhere.

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📌 SEA will continue supporting parents and districts nationwide

If your district is experiencing pressure from LifeWise or another RTRI program, or if you have questions about Released Time law in your state, SEA can help.

📧 contact@SecularEducationAssociation.org

Families deserve accurate information — not fear-based messaging designed to intimidate public schools.io

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