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Parents, faith leaders urge Everett board to limit Lifewise off‑campus pullout during school hours
Summary
At the Sept. 9 Everett Public Schools board meeting, multiple parents, a local rabbi and other residents told the board they oppose Lifewise Academy removing students from school during instructional hours, citing separation of church and state, student safety and peer division.
Sept. 9, 2025 — Everett Public Schools Board of Directors heard multiple public comments urging the district to prevent Lifewise Academy from removing students from school during instructional hours and to restrict the program to non‑school hours.
Speakers told the board Lifewise’s current arrangements create peer divisions and risk privileging one religious viewpoint during the school day. Rabbi Rachel Court, spiritual leader of Temple Beth Orr in Everett, said the program “is a disruption for community building, for all students at Emerson Elementary School.” She added, “The separation of church and state is critical for the protection of our Jewish community.”
Why it matters: Commenters framed the issue as both a legal‑civic one (the district’s obligation to keep public schools neutral in…
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