Grand Island, N.Y. (WBEN) – A student at Grand Island High School is crying foul over her proposed parking space decoration for the upcoming year. Her attorney says the district is violating her First Amendment rights.
Keisha Russell of FirstLiberry.org represents Sabrina Steffans, who paid $50 for a reserved parking space for the upcoming school year. Russell says Steffans wanted to express herself by talking about her love for Jesus and God, and she submitted a design with scripture reference, talking about God is King.
“The school said, ‘No, you can’t do this because it’s religious.’ She submitted three different designs, and the third one is pretty benign, no mention of God. They said she can say He, but not God, and she can’t mention any scripture verses, so we sent a letter to the school telling them that what they’re engaging is in is a violation of the Constitution, that they can’t censor her speech just because it’s religious, her speech is private, and therefore they need to respect her choice.” said Russell with WBEN…