A western New York high school has reversed course and will allow a student to decorate her senior parking spot with Bible verses, following a legal challenge.
Grand Island High School, near Buffalo, has a tradition of letting seniors pay $50 to decorate their parking spaces with positive artwork to “beautify the campus and promote school spirit.”
Student’s religious designs initially rejected
Rising senior Sabrina Steffans submitted three proposed designs. Two included crosses and Bible verses — John 14:6 and Jeremiah 29:11 — but were rejected by school officials. Only a third design without religious references was initially approved.
“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 that wasn’t allowed,” Steffans told CBN News.
Legal challenge from First Liberty Institute
After the rejection, Steffans sought legal support from First Liberty Institute, a religious liberty firm, which argued the school’s decision amounted to unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination. The group sent a demand letter to the district.
Days later, the school district agreed to permit Steffans’ original design.
“We are pleased the school district changed course and will allow Sabrina to truly express her deeply held beliefs in her design,” said Keisha Russell, senior counsel at First Liberty. “The First Amendment protects students’ private expressions of faith in public schools.”
District defends policies but allows design
Grand Island Central School District Superintendent Brian Graham said the district was committed to respecting students’ rights and denied that its policies had violated them.
“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 in a statement.
The superintendent added that the district will review its parking space program to determine whether changes are needed.
