Sabrina Steffans High school senior wins battle to paint bible verses in personal ‘paid’ parking spot at Grand Island Central School. The case raises issues of the right to religious expression at secular school and student inclusivity.
At what cost Jesus? A high school senior in New York has won her battle against her public school after they forbid her painting bible verses on her ‘paid’ personal parking spot.
‘Sabrina Steffans will proceed with her original design that was previously rejected by the school because of its religious references,’ First Liberty Institute, a religious liberty law firm, said in a statement released to Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN).
The about face comes after Steffans threatened the Grand Island Central School District near Buffalo, N.Y with litigation after the student who runs the school’s Bible club told the outlet she had previous run ins with the ‘secular’ school.
Will the school now have to approve all religious references?
Steffans said that the potential legal showdown kicked off after two of her drawings of what the space would look like were rejected before a third was eventually allowed.
‘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 that wasn’t allowed.’
Adding, ‘They finally agreed to … the last one, which had no Bible verses, no crosses, or anything.’
Steffans said previous attempts to run ads on behalf of the Bible club at the school had also been turned down.
By now the senior had begun to wonder whether her first amendment rights were being encroached upon and her desire to express her religious faith at the school being negated.
Does a student have a constitutional right to religious expression at a secular school?
Steffans said she brushed off the initial rebuttals but after getting frustrated by the parking space situation, she connected with First Liberty Institute, who in turn sent a letter to the district.
Keisha Russell, senior counsel for First Liberty Institute indicated they would sue if the Grand Island Central School District didn’t relent. However, Russell and her client are content with the school’s decision to allow Steffans to proceed.
‘We are pleased that the school district changed course and will allow Sabrina to truly express her deeply held beliefs in her design,’ Russell told CBN. ‘The First Amendment protects students’ private expressions of faith in public schools.’
Which raises the question, why had the school resisted all along? Which is to wonder, had Steffans been Muslim or Hindi or Jewish, would the school have also rebuffed her efforts? Or did the school believe by catering to one religious group it risked alienating other students?
Brian Graham, superintendent of Grand Island Central School District, issued a statement explaining the district’s stance and its commitment to ‘fostering an inclusive school environment that respects the rights and dignity of all students.’
‘We also take seriously our responsibility to uphold constitutional principles, including the First Amendment,’ Graham wrote. ‘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.’
The educator said the decision provides a balance between upholding the law and avoiding litigation, which would be costly and would distract from the district’s mission. Graham said school officials will also look at their policies moving forward to assess the best way to handle such situations.
‘We will take time in the coming months to review the future of the senior parking space program and will consider whether adjustments to guidelines or practices are warranted to better reflect our goals as a public-school community,’ Graham said.
