First Liberty Institute and the law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP stated in a press release that they sent a demand letter to the Everett, Washington school board on behalf of LifeWise Academy, challenging its regulations for permitted release-time courses for students. The law firms warn that the regulations violate the First Amendment, impose subjective standards targeting religious groups, and will lead to costly litigation if not corrected.
First Liberty attorney Jeremy Dys told AFN that LifeWise is a release time religious education program that is only doing something that the Supreme Court has approved of since 1952. The case Zorach v. Clauson set the precedent where the Bible can be taught during a public school day if the program does not use government funds, if it is held off campus, and if parental permission is given.
"They pick up students at campus because their parents, these students' parents, have decided they want to provide some religious education in addition to their regular education too," says Dyes. "So, LifeWise picks them up at campus, takes them somewhere off campus, gives them a lesson about the Bible, and takes them back to school for the rest of the day."
Some people find this program objectionable, and in Everett, Washington, Dys said that school board members and community members have said some "very vile things" about LifeWise.
According to Dys, a School board member accused LifeWise of indoctrinating kids with "fascist theology." A community member at a school board meeting said that LifeWise was like the Nazis driving around Germany and picking up people.
"This is the type of opposition that LifeWise is facing in different parts of our country, and as a result, the school district has created some tacks in the road for LifeWise to be operational there,” states Dys.
He said that they are making it much more difficult for LifeWise to operate and, frankly, just being unfair.
"For instance, they have some community affairs for organizations that can come and show what kind of program they are, and parents can choose to put them in those programs or not,” explains Dys, “but LifeWise has been excluded from those because they're religious. They also have fliers that they will distribute for community organizations, but LifeWise has been excluded again because they're religious."
In the letter, First Liberty and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP told the school board it is time to make this stop. First Liberty would like a response by December 5th.
"Treat people fairly, and let parents decide what it is they want to provide, and accommodate the needs of the school to meet those needs of the parents," states Dys.
