A New York high school student has won her fight against her school after threatening legal action over the display of Bible verses in her paid parking space.
Grand Island High School has a tradition allowing seniors to pay $50 to decorate their parking spaces with “positive artwork” to beautify the campus and promote school spirit, according to the law firm First Liberty.
However, when senior Sabrina Steffans submitted two designs featuring crosses and Bible verses from John 14:6 and Jeremiah 29:11, the school rejected them and approved only a third non-religious version, CBN reports.
“I put in three drawings that I did, and the first drawing was a drawing of this mountain called Salvation Mountain,” Steffans told CBN. “And when I handed it in, they said… completely no to it because it had crosses, a Bible verse, and just a lot of religion that they said wasn’t allowed.”
Steffans decided to seek legal help from First Liberty. The group sent a demand letter arguing that she had a constitutional right to religious expression under the First Amendment. Days later, First Liberty confirmed the school district had changed course and would allow Steffans’ original designs featuring Bible verses.
“We are pleased the school district changed course and will allow Sabrina to truly express her deeply held beliefs in her design,” Keisha Russell, senior counsel at First Liberty, said in a press release. “The First Amendment protects students’ private expressions of faith in public schools.”
In a statement to CBN, Grand Island Central School District Superintendent Brian Graham said the district is committed to fostering an inclusive environment that respects students, and disputed claims that the district had violated students’ rights.
“While we strongly dispute any assertion that our policies or decisions violated the rights of any student, the Board of Education and District leadership, after careful consultation with legal counsel, have decided that the student in question will be permitted to proceed with her original senior parking space design," Graham said.
He added that the school district will review the senior parking space programme to assess whether changes are needed going forward.